Under the Sun
by Lostseeker31
Summary: Kaylee is just an average girl from Nipton, who is expected to marry the Mayor's son. Her want to leave the town leads her to Goodsprings where she meets Parker, the courier. He agrees to take her back to town, but finds it had been attack by Legionaries. He lets her tag along as he treks across the Mojave, always searching to bring peace to the Mojave.
1. Chapter 1: Just Another Day

Kaylee leaned against the wall behind the counter in the general store. It was another boring day of just standing around. As usual, there was nothing to do but stand. Hank had gone upstairs for lunch and asked for her to take over while he was gone. What he really meant was to notify him if any customers had arrived. She didn't understand why her mother wouldn't let her do anything in town besides help out at the town's store. She couldn't even go with the small group of men when they would go to give Nipton's town report to the Mojave Outpost. It wouldn't even be dangerous, with how often they travel down it, not to mention the patrols of the NCR. She growled angrily to herself.

The door to the shop sprung open as Jolene practically skipped in with a smile from cheek to cheek. "Oh my god Kaylee!" she screamed, rushing up to the counter. "You'll never believe what happened."

Kaylee moved to the counter, confused but becoming excited herself at her friend's mood. "What?"

"Come on you have to guess!"

"Um, you finally got that new dress you wanted?"

"I wish. It's better than that, though it be a lot better if I did have that dance."

"No way, did he really ask you?" Disbelief spread across Kaylee's face.

"Yes! Erik asked me to the town dance Saturday!" They both screeched and bounced up and down before hugging each other across the counter.

"Jolene, I'm so happy for you. What are you going to wear?"

"I was thinking that I was going to were my mom's old pink dress."

"You're going to look so beautiful in it."

"Not if I stand by you," her tone turned sour.

"Come on!" Kaylee protested, "Don't be like that."

"How can I not? Every guy looks like their lusting to be with you."

"Jolene, you're imagining things. Plus I don't even think I'm going." She was annoyed that she was bringing this up again, but hid it from her tone.

"You're not gonna go?" she questioned, curiosity replaced the jealousy.

"If my mom tries to make me go with Mr. Steyn's son I won't."

"Kaylee?" Hank questioned from the door way to the stairs.

"Yes?" she spoke kindly to the old man hoping she wasn't in trouble.

"Why don't you take the rest of the day off," he offered with a smile.

"Oh thank you Mr. Anderson!" she grabbed her bag and ran after Jolene who was holding the door for her. With a wave, "I'll see you tomorrow!"

It was another bright day out in the Mojave Desert. One of the gate guards noticed the two girls exit from the store and gave them a wave. Waving back, they continued down the street towards Jolene's house. Three kids about the age of ten were playing catch while two older boys watched over them.

"Hey there pretty girls," one called while the other whistled. "Why don't you two come over and give us a little kiss?"

"Just keep moving," Kaylee whispered. They were almost to her house and she didn't want to deal with these assholes.

"Grow up Bret!" Jolene yelled back, Kaylee let out a sigh. They both smirked to each other before running across the street. Jolene was about to open the door when Bret had almost slammed into the door to keep it closed.

"Aw, come on, don't be like that. We just want a smooch from both of you." Jolene attempted to open the door again, but Bret held it shut. The other boy snickered and began playing with Kaylee's blonde hair.

She smacked his hand away, "Get away from me you creep!"

"Just a little kiss Kaylee, always wanted one from you," the puckered his lips and made them smack to together.

"Why don't you just let us go inside and think about?" she spoke as calmly as she could, trying to not let her annoyance show. Why did Jolene have to do stuff like this? She was always trying to draw the unwanted attention of the idiot boys of the town. Glancing to her friend was shock that left her mouth hanging open. "Jolene!" she forced herself from screaming it out. Jolene jumped back from Bret who was licking his lips, trying to suppress a giggle. She avoided making eye contact with Kaylee as she stared her down.

"Come on Kaylee, your turn," he tried to speak charmingly. She grunted in disgust and shoved him backwards and quickly pulled the door open, dragging Jolene behind. She slammed the door shut and locked it. They could hear the two boys walking off laughing.

"What the fuck was that Jolene?"

"What? Don't you want a kiss from a pretty boy every now and then? Seeing how you've never kissed a boy before I thought you would take the offer up," she tried to smile innocently.

Kaylee's cheeks burned slightly, "That's not the point. I thought you were going to the dance with Erik? What will he think?"

"It's just a dance, Kaylee. He probably just asked me because he couldn't get anyone he was interested in to go with him. Besides, maybe the kiss will make him jealous. Do you think it will?"

She let out a long aggravated sigh, "I don't know." She didn't know what to think of her friend right now. She couldn't help but wonder how often this may have happened. She just wanted to change the conversation. "Go put on your dress, I want to see you."

Jolene's face brightened as she hurried off to change, leaving Kaylee alone to her thoughts as she plopped down onto the couch near the door. She couldn't help but think about the boys from before. Jolene was right; she had never kissed a boy. She wanted nothing more than to have her first kiss. She would fantasize about some handsome muscular man coming to save Nipton from raiders terrorizing the town. Then once saved, he would whisk her away with him. A man that is nothing like the asshole boys of the town. It came down to one thing though. She wanted to leave this town and explore.

"I'm coming Kaylee!" Jolene called out. She could hear the thumps on the floorboards. She rounded the corner and gave a spin.

"You look so adorable in pink!"

"You really think so?" she asked excitedly.

"Of course, all the boys will want to dance with you," Kaylee respond with a smile.

"You should try a dress on too," Jolene suggested with a sly smile.

"Do you even have one that will fit me?"

"Yeah, I got a few laid out on the bed. Just go change and I'll be waiting right here."

Kaylee walked from the room, unsure of what her friend was trying to do. She knew that she was more than likely not to attend the dance. She just figured that it was a way for Jolene to complain about how pretty she is. She kicked off her converse shoes while pulling off her white shirt, and then proceeded to tugged down her jeans. Choosing a dress at random she slipped it on and found it tight due to her breasts. A creak from the floor brought her attention to the doorway were Jolene was peeking around the corner.

"Are you done yet?"

"Just about," Kaylee responded as she sat on the bed and began pulling on the matching green heels to the dress.

"Good! Everyone will want to see."

"Everyone? Who else is here…." she trailed off. Of course she knew who else was here. While changing her friend must have gotten the two guys from outside to come over. "Jolene. Who else is out there," she kept her voice low, but the annoyance was clear.

Jolene bit her lip and tried to look all innocent, "Oh no one really, just Bret and…"

Kaylee stormed out of the room, seeking to just head home and be done with her friends shenanigans for today. Thankfully her house had a back door which she took to avoid the stares of horny twenty year olds. Her pace was fast as she went around a house or two and was walking down the road towards the town hall. Her house was on the right at the end of the street. Unfortunately her pace wasn't fast enough.

"Kaylee where you going?" she glanced to her side to Michael stepping out his door causing her to stop. The one man in the town she found herself attractive to. He wasn't wearing a shirt. "And what are you doing in that dress, the dance is Saturday."

"I um, well," she found herself tripping over her thoughts as she ogled him. "I mean, Jolene wanted me to see her in her dress and asked me to try one on… Well then she invited some boys over while I was changing and I…"

"Didn't want to deal with their unwanted attention?" he questioned raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah…" she almost mumbled out.

"Come on I'll walk you the rest of the way, I think I hear them coming."

They walked silently side by side while Kaylee's cheeks burned brightly. She bit her lip and turned her gaze down in attempt to hide her face from him. Her breasts were practically ready to burst out of the dress causing her to briskly walk ahead of Michael. They were close enough to her house already and she just wanted out of this embarrassing dress. She got to the door and swung it open.

"Wait!" she heard him call out.

Kaylee debated just slamming the door shut behind her so he couldn't see her any longer in this dress she about to pop out of. She bit her lip standing in the door way with her back to him. Maybe that's what he wanted, for her to pop out of the dress so he could see her. She turned slowly, but kept one hand on the door, ready to slam it shut.

"You're going to the dance right?" He was right about where she left him, his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

"I'm not…"she let out a sigh, "I'm don't know yet."

"Well, you should, it'll be fun. Even if your mom makes you go with Kyle." He turned and walked away at a slow pace, but his movements looked stiff.

Kaylee closed the door quietly. Did he just ask me to the dance? A smile spread from cheek to cheek. What was he going to wear? 'If I'm going to go it's going to be for him, so least I can do is match him.'

* * *

"God dam it! Did you really get another black jack?" Chet exclaimed. "God damn Parker, you luck out the ass."

"That or Trudy is stacking the cards against you."

"Hey now hun, don't you try to pin this on me. It's a slow night I needed something to do."

"Tell you what Chet, you keep the caps, but give me hundred 5.56mm rounds and enough food to make it to New Vegas."

Chet began rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "You're going to head north through Fiend territory?" Parker nodded in response. "I can do that. I'll have it ready in the morning."

"Can you get it ready now?" Parker casually asked before taking a sip of his whiskey.

"Uh yeah, sure. I'll go get it together now." Chet slid the caps into his hands and shoved them into his pocket before taking is leave.

"You planning on leaving in the night hun?" Trudy asked, gathering the cards together. Parker could tell she was worried.

"I am. I just want to get this delivery over with." He slid his hand into his pocket and felt for the platinum chip.

"You just be careful out there. It's dangerous at night."  
"Not the first time I've made a delivery at night Trudy."

"Have you ever done it through fiend territory though?" concern was evident in her voice.

"Yes," he lied poorly.

Trudy made a tsking sound, "Now I ain't your mother so I ain't gonna try and stop you."

Parker downed the rest of his whiskey and dropped a few caps onto the counter, "I'll stop by and let you know I'm alright."

"Alright hun, be safe."

Parker waved goodbye and proceeded over to Goodsprings general store. Chet was just walking out with the supplies. Parker quickly packed it into his bag and waved goodbye. The night was cool and the moon was full. It was a beautiful night to spend outside, though a dangerous one to be trying to sneak through Fiend territory.

A lone securitron caught his eyes. Those bucket of bolts never left New Vegas. The machine was rolling down the street towards Primm. It must just be a defective bot. He kept a steady pace as he made his way towards the water tower. He thought he heard something moving. He spun around quickly but couldn't see anything in the moonlight. A sudden blow to the back of the head brought him to his knees. Before he knew it, he was blacked out.

He didn't know how long he was out. It was still dark out. The only sounds he could hear was the crackling of fire, talking, and what he assumed was metal to dirt. He sat himself up, ignoring the skull splitting pain in his head.

"You got what you were after, so pay up," a man with a hoarse voice spoke, clearly holding back anger.

"You're crying in the rain pally," replied a man with a suave voice.

"Look who's waking up over here." Parker glared at the three men with disdain. There were three men in total, on wearing a checkered suit and the other two in traditional Khan Outfits. The checkered suit man was clearly in charge. The man flicked his cigarette away and turned his gaze to Parkor.

"It's time to cash out," the man stepped forward.

"Just get it over with," one of the men impatiently asked.

The checkered suit man raised a hand to silence him, "Maybe Khans kill people without looking at them in the face, but I ain't a fink. Dig?" Parker tugged at his bindings apart as the man reached into his suit. This was it. Instead he pulled out the platinum chip. "Looks like you made your last delivery kid. Sorry you got twisted up in this scene." He reached behind himself and pulled out a 9mm, aiming it straight at Parker. "From where you're kneeling it must seem like an eighteen karat run of bad luck. Truth is, the game was rigged from the start." A second a later and the gun fired.


	2. Chapter 2: Opened Eyes

_Blue Moon _was playing over the intercom when Kaylee walked in wearing a blue dress that went down to her knees. The dance had already started and so had Jolene's fun from the looks of it. She was grinding against Erik when she saw her friend.

"Kaylee you came!" she hurried over, wobbling on her heels.

Kaylee couldn't help but giggle at her friend, "I think you should learn how to walk in heels a bit better before you try running on those."

"Haha," she responded sarcastically. "Did you slip out of that dress on the way home?" she smiled mischievously. She was just happy she was in a dress that was trying to

"Why would you do that to me? I could understand getting a laugh out of me ripping the dress with a simple movement, but did you have to call those jerks in?"

"I was just trying to get you a kiss girl, settle down."

"Well just stop trying to make it happen."

"Kyle is looking for you."

Kaylee looked at Jolene scornfully, "When isn't he? Everyone in town makes it seem like I'm going to get with him whether I care or not." Her life would be set if she did. The Mayor made enough caps to support a small family if the person chose. It was also the reason why her mother wanted her to marry the boy. She was always going about how she wanted her to be safe and raise a family in peace.

"Well maybe if you just, you know…" Jolene teased.

"When I'm ready or the right guy comes around. Get back to Erik, he seems to be angry that I interrupted your grinding on him."

Jolene giggled as she walked back over to Erik. Kaylee navigated through the crowd to the small table in one of the back rooms. She searched the mass of people for Michael who had seemed interested to see her here. She was swaying back and forth as she gave up looking for him. Everyone in town seemed to be here, but not Michael. Thankfully Kyle hadn't spotted her yet. Most of the older folk stood off to the side talking about news outside of the town. They mostly talked about the movements of the Vipers lately. What had peaked her interest was that of the Legion. It was something about increased activity in around the town of Searchlight and the possible chance they were moving west.

"Kaylee, there you are!" She let out a deep sigh, why did he have to find her before she found Michael, she turned to face Kyle. "Thought you would never turn up."  
"Hello Kyle," she spoke flatly and uninterested.

"Jolene said you weren't coming." Before she could respond he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close, "Come one lets go dance." He led her to the center of the building where the dance floor was. She placed one hand on his shoulder and the other on his back. He proceeded to do the same except his hand had drifted further down her back and was almost on her ass. "Kaylee?"

"What is it Kyle?" They began swaying back and forth.

"Have you given any thought to going out with him again?" one corner of his mouth cracked in to a smile.

"How many times do I have to tell you that if I wanted to go out with you, I would let you know."

He let out a chuckle, "Come Kaylee, you don't have to play hard to get." His hand slid down and gave her ass a squeeze.

"Kyle!" she snapped at him. "Don't do that." His smile widen as he pulled her into him. "Just stop I don't want to dance anymore."

"I'm not though," he responded assertively.

She tried to push away from but felt his grip tightening on her shoulder, "Kyle, this isn't funny."

"I'm not laughing am I," his voice was stern.

Her heart began to beat faster; she glanced around to see if others had heard their conversation. No one had noticed in the slightest bit what was happening between the two. He wouldn't hurt her here, he had no way to keep her from making it obvious what he did. Although she couldn't just shove him away, everyone would just think he was innocent. She bit her lip as she couldn't think of what to do. The song ended and '_Where Have You Been All My Life?_' started. He didn't let her go nor did she try to break his grip.

They swayed back and forth for a few seconds before Kaylee gulped and as calmly as she could speak, "Kyle, I've had enough dancing for now. Why don't you go get us something to drink?" She looked up into his eyes and let her lips twitch into a small smile.

His tone returned back to the usual poor charming voice, "Kaylee dear, I'd rather just spend more time like this." His hand moved back to her lower back as he began to gently rub. "You need to relax to, no one is going to hurt you."

"Please?" she caressed his neck. Kaylee was hated herself for doing this. She was just leading him on and was going to only make things worse. She just wanted to be out of his arms.

"A few more songs, then I'll go get us something."

She bit her cheek to hold back the disgust as she got on her tip toes as best as she could in the heels and gave him a peck on the cheek. She rested her head against his chest and asked in a quiet voice, "Please Kyle, I'm thirsty."

After a few seconds Kyle pushed her gently away by the shoulders so there was about a foot between them. "Alright, I'll go get us something."

"Kaylee?" someone spoke behind her.

Her eyes lit with delight, but mostly relief, "Michael, how are you?" He was wearing dirty dress pants with a flannel shirt.

"Just fine now that I'm talking to you."

Kyle had stepped behind Kaylee and taken hold of her arm tightly, "Michael how nice of you to show up. A little under dressed though."

"It's not really my thing but I decided to come," he spoke casually. "Thought I might ask for a dance from Kaylee."

"She's not here with you." Kyle responded defensively.

"Neither is she here with you from my understanding," he countered. He took hold of Kaylee's hand and began guiding her over to him. Reluctantly Kyle let go and mumbled something about getting drinks.

"Oh my god, thank you for getting rid of that fucking asshole." She couldn't help herself as she gave him a hug. She was blushing as she moved away.

"Let's head outside, you know, to avoid that asshole," he suggested with a friendly smile.

Kaylee smiled brightly back and walked with him to the door. Once outside, they went around to the side of the building. They leaned against the wall, neither spoke. The night was cool and the sky was clear revealing the beautiful night sky.

'_This would be nice,_' she thought, '_to spend the nights underneath the stars like this_.' She knew she would need someone to protect her if she was to wander the Mojave. It was dangerous out there, but how much more dangerous than sitting in a town waiting to be raided by the Vipers?

"Listen, I wanted to talk to you," Michael began, breaking the silence. "I wanted to ask you earlier but my dad said it would be best to ask you now." Kaylee gazed at him with curious eyes as she tried to figure out what he was going to say. "I was going to ask you a bit sooner but Kyle wasn't going to let go of his prize," he quipped.

"Ugh, don't remind me please. He thinks I'm his simply because everyone expects us to be together."

"Because he's the mayor son and you're the prettiest girl in town." Kaylee was thankful that the darkness hid it.

"Please, everyone keeps saying that, Heather is just as if not prettier than me," she attempted to downplay herself. He gave a simple chuckle to himself.

"Well listen, you know how you've always wanted to travel? Well my dad is letting me bring someone with me while we head up to Goodsprings."

"How long of a trip are you talking about?"

"It won't be more than a day," he responded, scratching the back of his head. "Oh, and we're leaving tonight."

"I'll go," she answered quickly.

"Well I'm gonna head over to my house and tell my dad, best get changed and fill a bag with some food and water. We'll come get you."

Kaylee had stripped out of her dress and into her converse shoes, jeans, and long-sleeved shirt like her life depended on it. They were out of the town five minutes after she had left to go to her house. She couldn't remember the last time she was this excited. Finally she was going to get to live her dream a little. Even if it was for one day, she was sure she would enjoy it. She didn't even want to think of what her mother was going to do once she found out. She simply just moved the thoughts to the side so she could enjoy her little journey.

They left the town through the west gate and went off the road to cut through Ivanpah Race Track. They assured Kaylee that they didn't need to worry about anything out here since the giant ants hide in their burrows at night. They were right. The path they took was empty of anything but the silent breeze that would drag a small cloud of dirt along. It wasn't more than two hours later that they were back on the road. Michael explained that they had cut off about another hour or two simply by walking across the track.

This was exactly what she had expected to be like, just some friends walking the old roads of the years before, enjoying the night air. Michael's father would tell them stories of the times he walked this path over the years. He attempted to make Kaylee believe that a UFO came down one time and took a bighorn off in the distance. She just laughed and went with it for the sake of him dropping the subject. Most of his stories consisted of those from men who were part of caravans. The story that stuck to her most was one she wasn't sure if she believed in it. It was the tale of the Lone Wanderer. It's hard to believe that the man exited a vault in search of his dad only to end up bringing pure water to the D.C Wasteland.

They were twenty minutes outside of Primm when the sky was beginning to brighten. Gunfire filled the air from the east. Michael's father sent them ahead quickly while he sprinted off the road with his assault rifle drawn. Michael pulled them off the road and into the rocky hills while he kept the road in sight. It wasn't long before the night filled with gunfire again. Looking back they could see the muzzle flash of guns. It appeared to be five against one. Michael grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her in the direction of Goodsprings. She was shaking uncontrollably.

This was supposed to be a simple walk to Goodsprings and back. There shouldn't have been any trouble. They assured her that the NCR had these roads protected well enough from any dangerous people. It didn't help when they stopped for a brief moment when Michael handed her a 10mm pistol with fear clear across his face. She would have stopped long ago and curled up into a ball crying in fear. Somehow Michael kept going at a brisk pace pulling, always making sure to keep Kaylee with him.

They stopped when the sun was almost in the middle of the sky. Kaylee broke down the minute she sat down. Tears were flowing like a river from her eyes as she tried to keep her sobbing quiet.

"Kaylee you have to drink some water, we can't stay here long if those men…"he trailed off only making her cry harder. He wrapped his arms around her in a comforting manner. Humming quietly he rocked her back and forth. The sudden squawking in the hills around them caused Michael to stiffen. "Kaylee, you have to get up now, and be strong. We have to go." He kept his voice low.

A gecko came sprinting over a rock at them. Michael quickly reached up with his gun and began firing. Every shot missed, but caused the thing to scramble in an attempt to escape the bullets. Another gecko sprang out to their right and charged. The gecko caught Michael by surprise and chomped down onto his leg and began flailing around viciously. Kaylee whipped her gun up, arms shaking, and fired twice. The gecko's body went limp and lay still.

"Fuck!" Michael screamed out in pain, grabbing his leg.

"Michael," Kaylee screamed back brushing tears out of her eyes. "I'm so sorry I didn't mean too."

"Just-just had me your belt." She yanked off her belt and handed it to him. He tightened it around his thigh. He searched his backpack, pulling out bandages and a stimpak. He jabbed his leg just above the bite and bullet wound. He wrapped his leg up and threw everything into the bag. He kept glancing around nervously looking for more geckos. "Alright help me up. We're almost to Goodsprings."

She bent over and helped him up, he groaned in pain as he stood. "I'm so sorry, I'm sorry," her voice trembled.

"We'll talk about it later, we just need to take one step at a time."

They continued, making their way for the road. Michael limped on with one arm around Kaylee's neck. She was using all her strength to help him stand as they struggled forward. He had taken the gun from her and would fire behind them every time he thought he heard geckos.

When they finally had gotten in sight of Goodsprings, Michael was breathing heavily and sweating badly. Kaylee couldn't help but notice that she was practically caring him now. Her muscles ached and she didn't know how much longer she could carry him. They fell to their knees, Michael sliding out of her arms and onto the ground. Someone with a dog was running towards them calling something out, but she couldn't hear before falling over herself.


	3. Chapter 3: Friendly Help

Kaylee's eyes opened and closed wearily. Her legs felt like stones and her sides felt as though they were ripped from her. She shifted uncomfortably and was greeted to the sounds the protest of old springs. Her eyes fluttered open as fear clutched her heart again.

"Michael!" she screamed out as she sat up. Her eyes burned as tears failed to appear. She began breathing heavily causing her sides to flare up in pain. Bringing her legs to her chest, she buried her face into them.

"Easy now easy," footsteps could be heard as the voice's volume grew. "Young lady, it's alright now. Ain't nothing to be afraid of." The man assured her, placing a hand gently on her shoulder.

They sat in silence for a few minutes as Kaylee slowed her breathing. He let go of her shoulder and moved away, but from the sound she assumed he took a seat near her. The man sat patiently for another few minutes till she finally looked up sniffling at him.

"Where am I?" she muttered out. She stared into the kind eyes of an old man.

"You're in Goodsprings, I'm Doc Mitchell. Sunny Smiles found you and your friend earlier near the watering wells."

"Where's Michael?" she spoke up with concern.

"He's in the other room resting, had a nasty bite on his leg."

"But is he alright?" she questioned, sliding her legs off the couch and leaning towards him.

He gave out a long sigh, "I'm not sure, he is still young so he should be able to fight the fever off without a problem. Though I hope I got that wound clean before it could be infected."

Kaylee let out a silent gasp and bolted from the couch to the nearby room. She caught sight of her friend lying on a stretcher on the other side of the room. He lay there as still as statue, though he was covered in sweat.

She picked up one of his hands in both of hers, "Michael are you alright?"

Doc Mitchell walked up behind, "He's been out of it since he was brought here. Best you just let him wake up on his own. You can sit down if ya like," he offered, pulling a chair over.

Kaylee gave a weak smile and took a seat, never letting go of Michael's hand. She didn't know what to do. What could she do? Her friend was the only person she knew and trusted enough take her back to Nipton. Now he is lying in front of her with the doctor concerned he might not be okay. What about her father? What had become of him?

"Did anyone else come here?" she questioned with hope.

"Other than that man, no." Kaylee turned her gaze to where Doc Mitchells was pointing, "He's been here three days though."

Her eyes linger for a few seconds on the man on the bed. He was young, maybe twenty like Michael. He had short brown hair that was mostly covered by bandages. She hardly took notice that he was lying there in his underwear. She turned back around and laid her head on the stretcher Michael was on.

"What is your name by the way missy?" Doc Mitchell asked casually.

"Kaylee Callahan…" she murmured.

"And how are ya feeling?" She gave him a glare with blood shot eyes. "Are you fine physically? I didn't inspect you since I was busy with these two," he gestured to the others, "and you seemed to be fine with a glance over, nothing but scraped knees."

"As fine as I'll ever be…"

"If either of them make a peep, call for me." Kaylee nodded in understanding.

She didn't know how long she laid there with her head on the stretcher, but she dozed off. The sound of groaning roused her from her sleep. She got up and cautiously moved to the bed where the man was rubbing his eyes. He wiped his face with his hands as if to drag off a feeling.

"Doctor Mitchell's!" Kaylee called.

The man turned his gaze to her and spoke in a low voice, "Who are you?"

She hesitated, unsure of what to say, "I'm…"

"You're awake," Doc Mitchell walked in interrupting Kaylee. "I'd thought that I lost you for a second there Parker."

"What happened to me?" he questioned as he slid his legs over the side of the bed and leaned over on them. His eyes never left Kaylee. She stepped awkwardly back to Michael and picked his hand back up.

"Now this gonna be hard to believe but a securitron dragged you back here half alive with a bullet in your head. Let's get those bandages off."

Kaylee couldn't help her curiosity and look over to the man named Parker. It hadn't even been a day and everything she thought about the Mojave was wrong. It was a cruel place and this man was proof of that. Michael was proof to it.

"A man in a checkered suit shot me. You wouldn't have happened to see anyone wearing a suit like that?" Parker inquired, pulling off the bandages.

"I didn't see anyone wearing anything like that. You can go ask down at the saloon when I'm done with my examination. You know, to see if you're right in the head still."

Parker gave a light chuckle, "Feel right enough. Did a good job fixing up my head Doc."

"Alright, let's see if you can stand." Doc Mitchell hovered over Parker as slowly got to his feet with a small sway. "Good. Kaylee how about giving me a hand?"

Kaylee stood rigid, her grip on Michael's hand tightening, "What do you need help with."

"Just help Parker keep his balance as he walks around while I get the vigor tester going," he motioned over to the machine by the doorway.

Her muscles ached at the thought of catching a grown man from falling, but she didn't want to say no the Doc Mitchell. He had already done enough by taking her and Michael in and has been very kind.

"Of course," she said simply, letting Michael's hand slip from hers as she went to stand by Parker.

He took his first step without difficulty, but the second left him drifting towards Kaylee. She caught him in his arms as best she could. A smile played across his lips as he gazed into her green eyes. She could feel her cheeks getting warm from his stare.

"Sorry Kaylee, was just testing you," he stood back up and walked with ease over to the vigor testing machine.

"Hey now Parker, she's had a hard time in the past few hours," the Doc advised.

They talked in hushed voices while she went and sat back down by Michael. After a few seconds they continued on with the machines test. Kaylee sat back down by Michael, but gave an occasional glance to the two men. The doctor had Parker doing tests she found absurd. There was no way for these ink blot tests and first word to mind tests can prove anything. Though the man sat back relaxed and let the Doc do his job. When they finished they both gave a small laugh before heading out of the room.

"How are you doing?" she whispered to Michael. She grabbed a dry rag and wiped the sweat off his brow, "It was just supposed to be a simple walk to Goodsprings. Just a small trip."

She stood up and walked to the boarded up window. Looking out she could see that it was few hours past noon. The people of the town tended to the crops in their yards, or herded the bighorns. The town seemed peaceful, like nothing bad ever happens to the place.

"Excuse me?"

Kaylee whirled around to find Parker dressed in jeans and a red plaid button up shirt, "Y-yes?"

His eyes lingered on hers for a second longer before dropping to her chest, "I don't know if you want to change possibly, but Doc has some old shirts that belonged to his wife."

She starred at him stunned before thinking to glance at her shirt. Bloody hands prints covered her right sleeve. "I guess I should," she spoke weakly.

"Are you sure you're fine?" he questioned, eyes examining her face.

She found herself speechless gazing into his sea green eyes. Moments passed before she practically blurted out, "No I'm fine, really."

"Well you take a right and then a left, Doc is laying out some clothes for you."

She followed his directions and found the Doc Mitchells standing outside his bedroom. He gestured in with a smile before walking past her. She threw off her bloody white shirt and slid on a clean black tank with a white t-shirt over that. The white and red plaid shirt she put on as well wouldn't button up due to her breasts, so she left it unbuttoned and rolled the sleeves up. Exchanging her dirt jeans with fresh ones and left the room to find the Doc and Parker talking.

"… take her," Doc Mitchells finished speaking as Kaylee walked in. They both looked at her.

"Kaylee, why don't we go over to the saloon and get something to drink?" Parker spoke up.

"I want to stay with Michael."

"Look dear, its best you go outside for a bit, your friend will be fine till you get back," Doc Mitchell attempted to reassure her with a smile.

She stepped between the two and headed straight for Michael. "I'll be back. I promise," she whispered.

Giving him a kiss on the forehead before turning and sheepishly moved towards Parker. He let a warm friendly smile spread across his face. The corners of her mouth twitched slightly. She would be lying to herself if she didn't think she was nervous.

"Thanks Doc for patching me up," he pointed to where he was shot, "don't think I'd be standing right now if it wasn't for you."  
"Don't mention it Parker, next time you got pay though," the Doc chuckled.

"Well, once I get some caps again I pay for what you did, come on Kaylee." He led her to the door, but before leaving he called down the hall, "I come say goodbye before I leave."

With that, they were walking down the dirt path to the saloon. The sun was low in the sky and music could be heard coming from the saloon. An old man sat in a chair reading a magazine while cackling to himself just outside the door. Parker gently pulled Kaylee behind him and through the door.

"I'm done being nice," growled a man as they rounded the corner. "If you don't hand Ringo over soon, I'm gonna get my friends and we're going to burn this town to the ground. Got?"

"We'll keep that in mind," a woman spoke. "Now if you're not going to buy something, get out."

The man scoffed at her before heading for the door. Parker pulled Kaylee to side as the man got near. As he passed they brushed shoulders.

"Watch it kid," the man snarled.

Parker ignored him, "Hey Trudy how are you?"

"Oh dear lord, he's risen from the grave," Trudy spoke teasingly, though he face was full of concern as Parker approached her.

"I'm fine now Trudy, don't have to worry no more."

"Of course I still have to worry! You might end up with a bullet to the head again."

"Well, I was attacked before I even made it out of town completely. I didn't have my guard up."

Trudy hugged Parker and noticed Kaylee lingering behind him awkwardly, "And who's this?"

"I'm Kaylee," she answered.

"Oh you are a beautiful young woman if you don't mind me saying," Trudy's smile grew as Kaylee's cheeks burned red. "Please have seat you two," she gestured to the bar stools, "What will you have?"

"Some whiskey," Parker replied.

"Sunset Sarsaparilla please."

Kaylee was finding it disturbing how nice the people of this town were. She didn't mind them being friendly and the likes, but the fact that no one was arguing over anything. It was like the people had found a small fragment of peace here that would never be interrupted.

"What was that all about with that man Trudy?" Parker inquired.

"The Powder Ganger, Joe Cobb, wants us to hand over a man named Ringo to him," she replied. "He and his buddies hit Ringo's caravan and he escaped, far as I can tell at least."

"I'll help out if needed, though I don't have gun or ammo for that matter anymore," Parker spoke amused with his statement.

"Where are you from Kaylee?" Trudy asked, clearly wanting to change the subject.

"Nipton," she spoke quickly.

"Oh my, you're one of the two who showed up this morning aren't you?" Kaylee shook her head. "So what happened? That boy's leg was covered in blood." Parkers eyebrows were raised and watching her from the corner of his eye.

Kaylee gulped and took a sip of the sunset sarsaparilla before speaking, "My friend, Michael, his father a me were making a small trip up here from Nipton. We were somewhere past Primm when we heard gunfire nearby. Michael's father sent us ahead, I don't know…" she bit her lip trying to hold back the tears.

"There, there dear," Trudy placed hand on Kaylee's, "it's alright."

Taking a deep breath she continued, "I was too scared to move since we heard gunfire again. Michael pulled me with him and an hour or so later we were attacked by geckos. He got bit by one and he was out of ammo so I decided try and shoot it. I got it, but I also got him…" she sighed ashamed of herself.

"Ever been out in the Mojave before?" Parker asked, even though the answer was clear.

"No, and I've always wanted to experience it," she spoke glumly.

Parker sat quietly for a minute while sipping on his whiskey. "I could teach you to shoot," he offered.

"Why?" she questioned confused. "Once Michael is better I figured we find some way back to Nipton."

"Well what if I say I'll take you back to Nipton, tomorrow. When your friend is better I'll take him as well."

"You would take me back?" she eyed him suspiciously.

"I'm headed that way," he looked at her with a slight smile.

"And you expect me to trust you?"

His eyebrows rose noting the point, "Well you will know how to shoot better and have a gun as well."

"He pretty though, I think you should take him up on his offer," Trudy butted in.

What was the point in not accepting his offer? One way or another she was going to have to trust a stranger to take her back to Nipton. She wasn't even sure why she was so eager to go with Michael the night before. She was going to at least learn to shoot.

"Okay," she agreed, "as long as we go when were done."

"We're leaving in the morning, practice comes now. Parker downed the rest of his drink, "Trudy, where is Sunny?"

Before Kaylee could even register everything, she was standing outside in the setting sun holding a varmint rifle and shooting at glass bottles on a fence. She had to admit, she was having fun shooting at the bottles. Parker seemed determined to teach her as well. Always pointing out what she did wrong and how she can fix it. The smile that was on his face as he taught her put her to ease.


	4. Chapter 4: Trouble Before the Road

Parker had sent Kaylee back to Doc Mitchell's place when they could hardly see outside anymore. He told her to get some sleep and that he would be there after he gets everything ready. She was suspected he was going to do more than just that as his voice was hushed when he and Sunny walked away talking. Before they were out of range she heard something about a platinum chip and couldn't help but wonder if it had anything to do with the checkered suit man he mentioned earlier.

Her night brightened even more when Michael had woken up for a few minutes. His voice was weak and he still looked pale, but his fever had passed. Kaylee informed him that Parker would take her back to Nipton and would come back for him when he was ready. He confirmed that he understood through a few mumbled words. The Doc had moved him to the bed so she took the couch. It wasn't very comfy though she was sure that it was better than the floor.

She found she couldn't sleep as her mind was on the lessons that Parker had given her earlier. She didn't want to forget anything that he taught her as it was a skill she now wanted more than ever after her short trip out into the Mojave. As time passed by, Parker walked into the room with his boots thudding softly against the floor. She stiffened, trying to lie as still as she could.

"Thought you would be asleep by now," he spoke softly.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Why not?" he questioned.

A moment passed before she replied, "I don't think I want to go back… I mean, I want too…" She couldn't help but think of Kyle and his rude advances at the dance. Everyone in town was expecting him and her to get married and have a family. She didn't want to disappoint her mother either after taking care of her since her father had died when she was seven.

"Got problems back home?"

"I think I just want to be away from there for a change. Been there my whole life and never left before." Kaylee sat up and looked at him. He was leaning against the book shelf with his hands in his pockets.

"Get away by traveling the Mojave?" he questioned raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe…" her eyes dropped to the floor feeling like his gaze was judging her absurd idea of wanting to walk the desert.

"What about your friend?"

"I don't mean to spend my life doing it," she bit her lip before continuing, "just a week or so. I think it would be good for me."

"It's not worth the danger," he put simply, "now get some sleep."

Parker lowered himself onto as Kaylee laid back down. Maybe he was right. She spent half a day out there and her friends father had perished and as well as her friend. A feeling nagged at her. She knew what the feeling was. She didn't want to end up working at the general store until she died or gave in to marrying Kyle.

It was late morning when Kaylee woke up to Parker shoving a plate full of food into her face, "Come on, time to wake up and eat."

She took the plate and ate as fast as she could. Parker was sat in a chair across from her and proceeded to start checking a varmint rifle. He never glanced up at her though she watched him intently as he did the same for the 10mm that Michael had given her.

"Where did you get that rifle?" she questioned after swallowing another bit.

"Sunny gave it to me, she had a spare."

He set down the 10mm and picked up the rifle again and reached into a nearby bag and pulled out a scope. Attaching it to the rifle, he aimed towards the wall away from them and looked down the sights. She couldn't help but notice the focused look on his face as he got up from the chair and looked out the window. He was expecting something, but what she couldn't fathom.

"Kaylee, why don't come into the kitchen and eat? Doc Mitchell suggested from the hallway.

Before she could respond there was shouting outside followed by a gunshot. Her hands began to shake at the sound that she had to set down her plate to keep from dropping it. She gulped as she stood up and inched her way over to the window by Parker. The shouting continued and she could swear she heard someone say Ringo. Glancing out the window, she could see the man from the night before walking down the road. Joe brought friends though, five others in clothing marking that they were from a prison.

"Powder Gangers," Parker whispered before heading to the door.

She followed him, "And you're going out there?"

"Stay in here," he stressed, "and don't go outside till I come back."

With that he opened the door quietly and slid out. She rushed to the window and peered out waiting to see Parker walk by, but he never did. The Powder Gangers continued to walk down the street. They constantly howled out Ringo's name as they moved towards the saloon. There was a large explosion several moments later after she had lost sight of the men, though she could see the dust that it had kicked up into the air. Gunfire filled the air instantly after the sound of the explosion faded.

"Kaylee…" a voiced called out weakly. She hurried into the other room to her friend sitting up.

"Michael everything is fine," she tried to reassure him. She wasn't even sure if everything was going to fine. She grabbed his hand and held it gently and gave a smile.

"Are you sure? I thought I heard dynamite, and is that gunfire?" he attempted to keep his eyes open.

"No, shhh, just go back to sleep," she wanted to kick herself for that. How could he go to sleep with gunfire outside? She began to rub his hand with her thumb and let a smile spread across her face. She swore her heart almost burst as another explosion sounded out.

"Okay that was definitely an explosion," he breathed out attempting to sit up.

"Please," she pushed gently on his shoulder, "lie back down."

He eyed her suspiciously since she was clearly afraid, "Alright."

As Michael lied back down, there was nothing but silence. Kaylee's hands began to shake involuntary. Was it over? And if it was, was everyone okay? Was Parker? She stood up and gulped as she inched her way back to the other room letting Michael's hand slid out of hers. She looked back to see her friend's pale face giving her a concerned look.

She could hear voices coming closer to the house. Peering out the window she could see a few men heading towards the house though she couldn't make out any their faces. Her heart settled as she took in their clothing. A few seconds later the door flew open and the men walked in, dragging a man in who was cursing up a storm. Kaylee looked at each man that entered hoping it to be Parker, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Kaylee?" Parker spoke rounding the corner, the varmint rifle in one hand.

"Y-you're fine," she scanned him from head to toe.

"Of course," spoke offended, but a grin forced its way onto his face. "Get your bag, we're leaving soon."

She went and grabbed her bag from by the couch and went to find Parker. She had questions to ask him though he seemed to just want to start the trip to Nipton. He was talking to the Doc so she sat back down by Michael.

"I thought you said everything was fine," Michael chuckled which turned to a cough.

"And you should be asleep," she teased. "I guess you can't now that there is so much noise."

"You're going back today right?" his expression became concerned.

"Yeah," she gave a weak smile. "Any chance you might be able to make the trip."

"No, feels like my leg is on fire and I can barely move it," he looked passed her. "Can you trust him?"

Kaylee followed his gaze to Parker, "Do you trust Doc Mitchell?"

"He kept me alive," Michael shrugged his shoulders.

"Well he trusts him."

"I just want you to be safe." His eyes dropped, "This is all my fault…"

"Don't say that. You were just trying to be nice. I enjoyed everything up to Primm…"

"Are you ready Kaylee?" Parker questioned walking up to the bed.

"Yeah, I am."

"Parker, you'll keep her safe right?"

"Of course," he replied with a nod, "and when you're ready I'll come get you."

Kaylee kissed Michael on the cheek and turned to follow Parker. Before turning the corner, she glanced back and gave a wave which he returned. It was a relief to her that her friend was on his way to recovering.

Parker led them south out of town, they kept off the road. He remained silent as they walked through the rocky terrain. His eyes were always searching for some unseen threat causing her to not want to disturb him. She wanted to know what happened with the Powder Gangers, let alone where those men came from. It was sometime after noon when they finally stopped for a bite to eat. While they ate, Parker scanned the area through the scope on his varmint rifle.

"Been a bit quiet," he pointed out.

"So have you," she countered.

"Was waiting for you to ask something."

"What happened earlier?" she refrained from blurting out.

"I helped the town take care of a few goons," he said with a shrug.

She sighed aggravated, "What was with the explosions?"

"Sunny was on the roof of the saloon and tossed a stick of dynamite on them. Only got two of them. As I'm sure you heard, there was a firefight and I stopped one of them from throwing a stick of dynamite at the saloon. One of the folks got shot but that was really the worse of the damage."

"Where were you? I didn't see you walk past the window or anything."

"I snuck up behind them."

"And you weren't scared in the slightest bit?" she starred at him unconvinced.

"It's not the worst situation I've been in before," he raised a hand to stop her question, "I'll tell you some other time."

"You better," a grin crossed her face. "How was the town ready for them?"

"I talked to a few people last night, told them my plan."

Cries of geckos nearby echoed off the rocks. Kaylee froze in her where she sat with fear crossing her pain. Parker wasn't even fazed by it. It helped her slightly, to know that he wasn't afraid. She relaxed a bit and kept eating her late lunch.

"Get up," he spoke suddenly standing and walking to her. When she didn't he took her by the hand and pulled her up gently. Handing the rifle to her, he asked, "Give me your pistol."

She hand him the gun and took his confused. Grabbing her hand again, he led her further into the rocky terrain. The cries of the geckos became louder causing each of her steps to become more forced. He peaked over a rock and motioned for her to look as well. She found it hard to but found herself looking over it to see three geckos milling about.

"Ready for some target practiced?"

"At those geckos?" she almost hissed with fear.

"You need to learn how to shoot at moving targets. Just take aim and fire. You may have to lead if it's not coming straight at you."

She took a deep breath and raised the rifle. Her hands were shaking so much that she couldn't even get one the things in sight. "I can't stop shaking."

Parker placed a hand on her back, "I'm to take care of what you don't get."

Taking another deep breath, she steadied herself long enough to get a gecko in sights. She went over the few things that Parker had taught her. She pulled the trigger and the shot echoed off the hills. The gecko's sprung into a scared frenzy and began running all over the place.

"Take another shot," he directed.

Kaylee looked down the sights again, and caught sight of the one she shot at. It was dragging itself across the ground with one of its legs covered in blood. She hit it. She couldn't help but be proud. Calming herself again, she pulled the trigger and finished it off though the other two were charging her and Parker now. She panicked and fired the last three shots. When they missed she dropped the gun and began to back up. As they rounded around the rock, Parker pegged the two in the head, ending them quickly.

"Not bad on the first two shots," he said casual tone, "The other three were expected."

Kaylee stood as if a she was a statue watching Parker take out a knife and gut the animals. Moments passed before her heart finally began to settle again. By that time he was done and had the meat he cut off wrapped and in his bag. She went and picked the rifle back up.

"Here," she handed it back to him.

"Just hang onto that."

They continued on and passed on through Primm. They were stopped by an NCR guard warning that they should avoid the town as convicts from the correctional facility nearby had escaped and took the town over. Parker explained that they were just passing through and the guard let them passed. Kaylee had asked then who the Powder Gangers were and was told that they were just convicts from the prison.

They came across a few giant ants down the road that Kaylee, surprising herself, asked if she could take a few shots off at them. Parker had agreed. She did much better than she had before. Her hands still shook, but she didn't panic when they started to charge them. Having enough time, she reloaded the gun and emptied the clip. She took two down total and Parker finished the rest with a few simple shots to the heads. He congratulated her on the improvement, but stressed that they should get moving if they were to make it before sun down.


	5. Chapter 5: Smoke on the Wind

They had continued on down the road without any stops. Kaylee hardly paid attention as she thought about the target practice she had. She wasn't much of a shot, but according to the Parker made it sound, she was a natural born shooter. She dismissed it as him just trying to encourage her into taking an interest in it since it was clear that she had wanted to wander the Mojave. She still wanted too. Whether she did or didn't she had found it exciting to shoot the gun, not only at the bottles behind the saloon, but also the geckos and ants to an extent. She had been scared with the geckos only because what had happened with Michael. Parker had been right about the ants as well, they were slow for their size, which removed the anxious feelings she had when she first started shooting.

He had taken back the rifle and given her back the pistol which removed any hope for another stop for practice again. She was so focused on going over everything she did in both situations as best she could that she didn't notice that they had turned right on the road instead of left. They were headed towards the Mojave Outpost. The statues that sat outside of the outpost pulled her from her shooting assessment.

She turned her head to Parker with a confused expression, "Why are we going to the Outpost? I thought you were taking me back to Nipton?"

"I thought it was best to stop, it's getting dark," he glanced at her with a neutral expression. She hadn't noticed that the sun was low and turning the sky into an orange hue.

Relief washed over her at the thought of the trip back requiring them to wait till the next day, though she couldn't figure out why she felt like this. She hardly knew Parker for more than a few days and yet somehow she knew she could trust him.

As they entered the outpost, they could see the numerous caravans settling in against the ridge on the right. Penning their brahmin inside the chain link fence, they headed for across the road to the headquarters of the outpost. Some of the merchants, and even the NCR troopers, would greet Parker as they passed. They would eye Kaylee for a second, before looking back at Parker with a raised eyebrow and a nod towards her. Her cheeks turned slightly red from their attempted subtle question. She would watch for his reaction out of the corner of her eye each time it happened only to see a small grin and hear him return their greeting. She found that she wanted him to answer instead of ignore the gestured questions.

They entered the barracks and were greeted to the smell of alcohol on the air. It didn't help that there was a bar ten feet from the door. Most of the stools were filled with off duty troopers or merchants and their mercenary guards. The only person to catch Kaylee's eye was a woman wearing an old cowboy hat and leather jacket. She was slouched over with her elbows on the counter and a drink in hand.

"Cass," Parker spoke over the small murmur of the room.

The woman looked up at the sound of her name with annoyance, but her expression softened with a smile once seeing Parker. "Is that you pretty boy?" she responded.

She got up and hugged him tightly, "Easy there Cass, it hasn't been that long since we last saw each other."

Cass stepped back with a look of disbelief, "Hasn't been that long? It's been almost two months since we last saw each other." Catching sight of Kaylee, "And who is this Parker?"

"I'm Kaylee Callahan."

Before either could speak further, "Kaylee, I'm going to go check the road to Nipton, I'll be gone for a few hours. Why don't you Cass sit down and talk, maybe have a drink or two?"

"Need me get drunk before you take me to bed?" Cass teased with a grin.

Parker let out a long sigh, "Cass don't start. Kaylee, are you alright with this?"

Kaylee looked at Cass who was gazing suspiciously at Parker, "I think I'll be fine."

"Cass?"

"I will," she began, a smirk spreading across her face, "as long as I get a little something."

Shaking his head, "I'll see you in a few hours Kaylee."

With that, Parker left leaving Kaylee standing awkwardly by Cass. The other women gestured for her to take a seat next to where she was sitting. She sat down toying with the idea of asking the question she wanted too since the woman had hugged Parker.

"Just spit it out already," Cass looked to her side with eyebrows raised, "I know you've wanted to ask since he called my name."

"I-I don't know what you mean," she spoke flustered.

"Don't try to bullshit me, I saw the jealous look in your eyes," amusement tipped the woman's tone.

"I wasn't jealous," Kaylee replied defensively, "I just never thought of him to be with anyone."

"And you'd be right. As far as I know, he's never had a partner," downing her drink, "unless you two…"

"No, he's just guiding me back to Nipton."

"Why?" Cass questioned.

Kaylee filled Cass in on how she traveled from Nipton to Goodsprings and how she would not have been able to back it back on her own without help. The mention of Parker having been shot in the head brought more than a few questions from the woman. She couldn't answer any of the questions that were asked.

"Figures," Cass scoffed, "he wouldn't have said why he was shot."

"What do you mean?"

"He doesn't talk much about his personal life," she rubbed the back of her neck, "the most I know about him before the time we spent together was that he was a NCR soldier at one point."  
"Weren't you afraid he was possibly hiding something?" Kaylee asked curiously.

"I was never afraid of him. Then again he was like you," Cass let a small laugh escape. She elaborated when Kaylee stared at her confused, "He was like you, hardly knew anything about the Mojave. Things like where gangs have been focusing their attacks on the roads. Forget about him, you try to get him to talk later, what about yourself?"

"There isn't much to say," she looked away from Cass to escape any judging gaze, "I work at the general store in Nipton."

"Seems easy, got a man or anything? Maybe a thing with that kid Michael you mentioned?"

"We're just friends, but I never really figured out my feelings for him. He was the only guy who wasn't always hitting on me."

"Well you would be quite the catch," Cass pointed out.

"Yeah, well everyone in town has the idea that I'm going to end up with Kyle…" she muttered loud enough for the woman to hear.

"What is your problem with him?" Cass leaned in to hear her better.

"He thinks that I'm his even though I made it clear that I'm not interested in him."

Cass sat quiet for a moment before wrapping an arm around Kaylee, "Some men think they own women."

Looking Cass in the eyes, "Do you think that maybe…"

"Just say it," she tried to put as gently as possible.

"Do you think Parker would take me with him?"

She let out a sigh, "You would have to ask him Kaylee, can't imagine why he wouldn't. He's been traveling alone long enough now."

They sat in silence. Kaylee sat there and watched Cass down three more glasses of whiskey, though she was more focused on wanting Parker to hurry up and get back to the outpost. She wanted her question answered, but as time went on she started to rethink that maybe she should just stay at Nipton. Her mother would have a harder time keeping house without her contribution from the general store. Would she be disowned for following a man she still barely knew and only had the word of woman that she didn't know either?

"You should get to bed," Cass nudge Kaylee's arm.

She rubbed her tired eyes, "What time is it?"

"Almost midnight."

"Where's Parker?" Kaylee blinked her eyes trying to wake up.

"He hasn't come back yet, but I'm more than certain that he would be at Nipton if there was any trouble," Cass attempted to reassure her.

"What could have gone wrong?" she spoke worried.

"A pack of nightstalkers must have been roaming around the road, or maybe a giant radscorpion. Both are common in the desert south of the road between here and Nipton."

"What if he doesn't come back?"

"Look," Cass began, "I'll take you over there tomorrow morning with the NCR patrol. If he's not waiting for us, then we will surely run into him the road."

Kaylee merely nodded that she would wait and go with her tomorrow.

* * *

Nipton was close enough to smell the smoke on the air. Parker had been right that the black plumes of smoke belonged to Nipton. He was just thankful that he took Kaylee to the outpost instead of directly here. If he had brought her, she would no doubt break down and give their position away to anyone in the town. He couldn't but help to feel slightly guilty for leaving the poor girl alone with a person she didn't know as well as taking a risk in investigating Nipton on his own without informing the outpost of what he had observed.

He guessed that the fires were at the entrance to the town. He moved forward in a crouch hundred feet from the road. His pace was slow, but his eyes dotted about looking for any movement in the town. Every few feet he would stop and scan the area through the scope on the rifle. The night vision of the scope made it easier to observe his surroundings.

As he got closer, a man went sprinting from the town's entrance. Taking cover behind a rock, Parker waited till the man was out of sight before continuing. He found it odd as the man-clearly a Powder Gang member- was cheering at the top of his lungs as he followed the road. Powder Gangers may be criminals, but they shared a hatred for NCR and anyone under their protection since it was the NCR who locked them up. Although it would be doubtful that they would just attack a town that would leave one member left. They were smarter than that, but if it was an attack against Nipton, why would they do it during the day?

Parker pushed the thoughts aside as he neared the entrance. The smoke was coming from fires that blocked the streets further in the town which he took advantage of and slipped past the wall of old trailers. Sticking close to the wall of the general store, he made his way further into the town.

His heart sunk at the sound of pained groans. He knew what had happened now. He peered around the corner of the store to see the road lined on both sides with crosses. Men, women, and even children hung from them with blood dripping from their almost lifeless legs. Some where the townsfolk, others Powder Gangers, with a few NCR soldiers as well. They had been there for a few days as their faces were sunburned. It was too late to do anything for them. Even the sight of this atrocity, he felt for second relieved as his mind briefly thought of Kaylee.

Those feelings were quickly replaced by a rising rage. A rage he hadn't felt in years. Not since the battle at the damn…

Examining the surroundings quickly, he saw no Legion in sight and turned around went to the door of the general store. Swinging it open silently, he searched the building for anyone who might have hidden from the onslaught of the Legionnaires. The place was torn apart shelving units tipped over onto the ground with bags torn open. The lock to the upstairs was broken and looked the same as the ground floor.

He rushed out the door, the thought of trying to remain undetected slipping from mind as he crossed the house across the street. He found the house's interior was the same as the store. His unbridled rage almost got his leg shot off as he entered yet another home. The owners had set up a trip wire set to trigger a shotgun. Seeing the dull glow of a mine, he decided he would come back to check the house for any survivors. It was more the noise from the shot that made him want to move position before any-if any- Legionaries were still here.

Passing between the some houses he came to the farthest road into the town that ran parallel with the town hall. There was a pile of burning tires a few feet from the entrance of the building and in light given off he could see pikes with severed heads on them. In a fit of rage he kicked at the door to the house he was standing by. The door slammed open as if it wasn't even closed and knocked the rage building in Parker into utter surprise.

"Intruder!" the floating robot exclaimed. "You will face the wrath of the American people you communist bastard!"

Parker dove to the side nearly getting hit by the ball of green plasma the Mister Gutsy robot had fired. Scrambling to his feet, he fled behind the houses, heading for the main road.

"Ha! Coward!" the floating death machine roared at its maximum volume.

"Who the hell missed that?" he heard a man exclaimed.

"Communist reinforcements!" the robot yelled back.

Gun fire filled the air as the robot fought back as well as throwing taunts out. Around a corner a dog came sprinting, and charged straight for Parker. He dropped to a knee and brought his gun up. The dog had covered half the distance as he was about to fire as another snarling mongrel lunged from between the houses at him. He had enough time to shove the rifle into the dogs' maw, saving himself from the bite though the momentum brought him to the ground with the dog sailing over him with the gun in mouth. The other dog reached him and went for the throat.

Parker barely caught the dogs' lower jaw and snout in both hands. Throwing the beast off him, he slide out his knife and plunged it into the chest of the one that took the gun. Before the mongrel could yelp out in pain, he dragged the blade up and into its throat. The other dog had recovered and was about to lunge at Parker. He kicked it under its jaw then pounced on it, driving the blade between the spine and head.

He had been so preoccupied by the dogs that he hadn't noticed the approach of the six Legionaries. All, but one had their guns trained on him. It didn't matter to him, if this was the end, then he wasn't going to go without a fight. Springing to his feet, he went for the one not aiming at him for he knew this man. It was Vulpus Inculta.

He only made to steps before he was bashed in the face by the butt of a rifle causing him to stagger. One of the Legionaries came up behind and began to choke him with a rifle while another disarmed him.

"Easy there," Vulpus spoke cunningly, "we could use this one."

The soldier loosened the pressure of the gun against Parkers throat, leaving him breathing heavily with a stare of disdain at the man talking.

"Clearly you have seen what we have done here," a smile crossed the man's face, "and I want you spread the word to all NCR you come across spread the fear that they are no longer safe. That the Legion is coming for them. Besides, I remember you from the battle at the damn. Caesar would be most displeased with me if I were to kill you."

He nodded to one of the nearby Legionaries who drew a small knife grabbed Parkers hand. He passed the knife along his palm, leaving a small scrape. The man holding the gun to against his throat threw him to the ground. They proceeded to walk away from him, heading east. Parker slowly crawled to his rifle that was a few feet away. Taking hold, he sprung to his feet and found himself dizzy. The ground tilted and swayed as the strength in his arms began to fail him and the gun fell from his grasp. The weakness spread fast as his legs began to fall asleep. He swayed forward, taking a few steps attempting to keep his balance but ultimately he found himself falling towards the earth.

He was in a deep sleep before he had even hit the ground.


	6. Chapter 6: Far From Home

Parker groaned as he rolled over onto his back. Blinking through weary eyes, he took in the mid-morning sun. He staggered to his feet, attempting to remember what had happened. The only thing he could hear was of the crows circling overhead. Scanning the area, everything came back to him. The fury that burned in him the night before though, was gone. In its place, was that of an empty feeling.

Retrieving his rifle from where Legion mongrel had dropped it, he moved to the road lined with the men and women on crosses which now had a broken down Mister Gutsy at the end of it. None that he could tell that stilled lived even notice him. Their eyes either shut or cast down to the ground. He didn't dare look at the crosses that held the few children.

Vulpus wanted a message sent to the NCR and, whether he had a living soul to send it or not, those that came across the town would know. There was no slaves taken for surely they would have spared the children of the fate on the cross, though leave them in no better of a situation.

"Put your hands in the air!" a man yelled from behind Parker, with the sound of bullet being loaded into the chamber of a gun.

Raising his arms, he turned and spoke, "Are you going to shoot a civilian soldier?"

The NCR soldier lowered his weapon, "Parker? What happened here?"

"What does it look like? Legion is what happened," he responded coldly. "They left last night, heading back east."

The man motioned two of the other soldiers over to him and talked to them quietly before they took off towards the Mojave outpost.

"Alright the rest of you start checking the houses, I'll deal with the ones on the crosses," the soldier ordered.

"Best be careful," Parker warned, "some of these houses have traps in them."

"I think you should get to your friends, one of the seemed pretty worried about you. Their over by the entrance waiting."

What the hell was Cass thinking? She shouldn't have brought Kaylee here. Having been gone longer than what he said didn't help his cause. He should have known that Cass would bring her here if he didn't show up at the Outpost.

He met them at the entrance with Cass staring him down with a disappointed look. Kaylee was in the woman's arms with her head buried into the shoulder. The closer he got, the more he could hear the sniffling of Kaylee causing the agitation he felt moments before subsided.

Parker opened his mouth to say something, but closed it as nothing came out. He looked to Cass for words but her expression remained the same though her eyes reflected an understanding of the pain that the girl she was holding felt at that moment. He hesitated, rubbing his hand against his head, hardly noticing the pain from the cut.

"Kaylee?" he finally spoke, his tone low and calm. To his surprise, the girl lunged out of Cass' arms and wrapped herself around him.

"What happened…" she began with words muffled into his chest, "The town… You said you'd be back…"

Parker stood there with his arms up and away from her, unsure of what to do or even say. Cass gave him a nod towards Kaylee. He gently wrapped his arms around her, "It's going to be alright now…"

"How can you be sure?" she sniffled into his shirt. "How do I know you won't disappear on me?"

"Listen to me Kaylee," he whispered, his voice still calm, "I know you're hurt right now and have gone through a great deal than what you are used too, but I need you to be strong right now."

"How can I?" he could feel her beginning to sob.

"Just focus my voice," his heart felt a pang of anguish as he spoke the words. He fought himself to keep his words steady and calm, "Nothing else matters other than me and you."

When she didn't say anything he continued, his arms wrapping tighter around her, "I need you breath slowly like me." He inhaled through his nose slowly and held for a second before releasing the breath just as slow. He gave her a few moments until their breathing matched. "Good, just like that." Parker glanced to Cass who now looked at him with a softer expression.

Minutes passed as they stood holding each other until Kaylee took a step back and looked at him with blood shot eyes. "Thank you," she murmured to him.

Parker wrapped an arm around her guided her along the street through the town. He made sure she couldn't see any of the monstrous deeds of the Legion as the made their way east out of Nipton with Cass only a few steps behind.

* * *

They made their way to Novac, having followed the road out of Nipton and passed by Ranger Station Charlie. The road was clear of any threats as the Legion troops before them had destroyed any threat on the way to and from the town. Parker was still concerned that there may be a threat and focused on the hills and mountains around them while Cass walked with a comforting arm around Kaylee.

Reaching the town Parker showed them to his room. Besides the stained rug, the room was for the most part clean. There weren't any clothes thrown about or trash all over the place. The tables were surprisingly clean as there were little to no stains on them. The only mess that could be said to have existed in the room was the random boxes of ammo lying about.

"Keep your place spotless pretty boy, or were you just trying to impress us?" Cass teased Parker in hopes to make Kaylee smile. Instead she stood by the door looking around in a dazed thought as she attempted to keep back her feelings.

"Make yourself comfy," Parker gestured awkwardly at the room. "There's Sunset Sarsaparilla in the fridge, maybe a Nuka-Cola or two."

Kaylee moved to the couch and sat down. Kicking her shoes off, she brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She could tell she was going to break down any second again. Her heart felt torn from her chest every time she thought about everyone at the town. Thought about how she was only here right now because she ran off in the middle of the night without telling her mother. Her mother surely worried about her missing daughter only to be attacked by the Legion a few days after she went missing. She didn't even say a single word.

"Kaylee?" Parker spoke low. "If you want to take bath, the tub is in the room at the back. You can always take a nap on the bed if you want too. You can too Cass."

"What, trying to get two beautiful women to undress and cuddle in bed for your enjoyment pretty boy?" Cass quipped, her eyes searching Kaylee's face for a hint of a smile.

Parker gave the woman a look to give it a rest. "I'm going out," he began heading for the door when Kaylee reached out and grabbed his hand. Her eyes filled with worry. "I'm just going to go over to the dinosaur and talk to Cliff," he smiled reassuringly, "no need to worry."

She didn't let go. If he left, it was going to be like at the outpost except he wouldn't come back this time. She didn't want to be left behind, but felt that she would if he did leave.

He held her gaze, "I'll be back in a half hour tops, I promise."

Letting her hand slide from his, Parker walked out with a glance back. She wasn't sure, but she thought she saw empathy in his eyes.

Kaylee got up a minute or two after he had left and went to the bathroom. Filling the tub she removed her dusty clothes and got in. The cool water relaxed though her mind remained on what happened to her home and how she had unknowingly escaped the fate of it. Cass had turned on the radio which helped her thoughts drift from the town. She washed herself quickly, unsure of whether the other woman had wanted to take a bath as well.

She was hardly out of the tub when Cass was in the doorway holding a robe, "Here you are, theres clean clothes in my bag, you look about my size."

She wrapped the old white robe around her quickly, as she felt uncomfortable standing naked in front of the woman. Cass simply gave a chuckle as she threw off her clothes and got in. Kaylee left the room to avoid any more awkwardness.

She laid down on the bed, feeling too tired to change at the moment though her eyes were either on the door or the clock as she waited the return of Parker. He had ten minutes left before he broke the promise yet it felt like hours as she slowly curled up tensely with the anxious feeling that he lied to her and wasn't going to come back.

With a minute to spare he walked into the room. Catching sight of her he gaze avoided looking at her directly, "Do you want something else than that?"

"Cass said I could wear some of hers," she responded loud enough for him to her. She was sure he could hear the relief to her voice.

"Well if you're planning on sleeping now, then you might want what I got. Cass likes to sleep in those lewd nightgowns."

"You know you like them Parker!" Cass called from the bathroom causing him to sigh.

"I have few t-shirts and sweatpants," she sat up nodding, being sure to keep herself covered.

He grabbed some from the wardrobe by the bed and put them on the table and proceeded to become occupied with something away from her. She changed into the loose fitting clothing and laid down on the bed again. Parker went about the room after he realized she was clothed and rummaged through all the cabinets and drawers. She fell asleep watching him take apart the guns and begin cleaning them.

* * *

Kaylee awoke to the muffled sound of voices outside. The room was dark and the only light came through the boarded up windows. She climbed out of bed and peeked through one of the cracks to see Parker and Cass leaning against the railing.

"So you got shot in the head?" she heard Cass question unbelievingly. Parker didn't respond though the woman continued inquisitively, "So how'd you meet the girl?"

"Woke up to her looking at me frightened, though I don't why asking, I'm sure you've asked her at the Outpost."

"You know why," she spoke sharply.

"Oh come on, it's hardly the same thing," Parker responded irritated.

"Damn it Parker, it's the same and you know it!" Cass yelled the words into a low bitter tone. "It's only a matter of time until you leave that poor girl stranded somewhere. What then? Gonna chase after Legion again?"

"I did what I thought was best," he growled at the woman.

"The best?" she mocked. "The best thing to do right now is take care of Kaylee. I know that look in your eye. You want to chase down Legion or that man who shot you yet you haven't decided what to do about Kaylee."

It was silent for a few minutes. Kaylee strained to hear anything in hopes that the conversation wasn't done. The beating of her heart was making it hard to hear anything. Was Parker really thinking about abandoning her somewhere?

"Just remember one thing," Cass finally spoke up, "besides the poor boy at Goodsprings, you're almost all she has left. She trusts you. She followed you out into the Mojave, after watching you wake from the dead and simple shooting practice."

"She took a risk," Kaylee could hardly hear Parker respond.

"You left her with me," Cass countered, "you trusted me, so she trusted me."

"She won't be safe around me."

"After Nipton, I doubt anything east of the Long 15 will be safe, and NCR has that place locked tight due to the Legion."

The door to the room opened, and Cass entered noticing Kaylee standing on the couch. She eyed the girl for a few seconds before making her way to the fridge. She didn't say anything as she walked back over and plopped onto the bed with a bottle of whiskey in hand.

Kaylee took a deep breath and moved toward the opened doorway. Peeking out, she saw Parker looking out over the fence while leaning against the railing on his arms. Grabbing the door knob, she stepped out and closed the door quietly.

"Guess we woke you up, huh?" he spoke sullenly which made her slightly upset. He had always been calm and somewhat cheerful.

"Yeah…" was all she managed to force out.

"From the way you sound, you heard everything then?"

She bit down on her lip, hesitant to speak, "Are you really considering tracking down Legionaries?"

"Yes," the single word was filled with hatred. Hate that she should be feeling right now as well since they had taken everything from her.

"Is it because of what happened at when you were a soldier in the NCR…" she found herself cut off by Parker.

"What happened when I was a soldier is just one of the parts, and I don't want to talk about it," his words were harsh and Kaylee felt the sting to them. She heard him sigh and turn his gaze to her, his voice apologetic, "At least not today, I promise I'll tell you. Some of it at least."

She nodded trying to smile, "Okay then."

"Want to go shooting tomorrow?"

She stared at him, trying to discern his intent behind it but couldn't see anything past the fading hate. She couldn't stop herself from thinking that this was how he was going to abandon her, though Cass was right about her. She did trust the man as somewhere deep in the back of her mind; something was telling her to follow him. All she knew was it felt right, "Yeah, let's go shooting tomorrow."


	7. Chapter 7: Pulling Some Weight

They spent five days in Novac doing nothing for the most part. Parker took Kaylee to shoot on three of the five days which Cass had joined them on. He took her north, past Helios One to a flat sandy area. Ants roamed in large numbers at the surface there with burrows in plain sight. She handled all that had come charging at them without any difficulty. Parker had remarked on how impressed he was with her progress.

The other two days, he took her over to the scrap yard for her practice. He rummaged through the junk pile after having a talk with Old Lady Gibson about it being okay. He had Kaylee shoot at thrown pieces of trash from glass bottles to broken plastic toys. She missed often with most of the items as they would drop out of the air to fast for her to take aim and adjust.

Each day that she went out with him, her eyes were always taking in the scenery around them. She was certain she could find her way back to Novac without any issues and was taking note of places where any animal or gang member may be hiding. She excused the behavior as just being bored when walking, since neither him nor Cass would say much. In reality, she didn't want to admit that she still felt there was a chance that he was going to leave her out here.

Cass and Kaylee sat around on an old rusty car at the scrapyard while waiting for Parker to return with the junk for target practice.

"You're improving with shooting that gun there girl," Cass nudged her with a smile, "might even become one of the best shots of the Mojave."

"I'm hardly close to being that good, besides I'd be no good in a firefight."  
"Only way to get better at it is to experience," she gave a shrug.

"I'm scared to find myself in a situation like that," Kaylee let out a sigh, "I doubt Parker even would want to drag me along with him…"

"You still want to go with him?" Cass questioned. "Even after everything that has happened to you over that last week or two?"

"Well yeah, I mean there isn't really anywhere for me to go. My home is gone and almost everyone I knew is…" she gulped and took a deep breath, "dead. That's the thing though, I don't want to be a burden to him." She quickly added, "That's if he is willing to take me."

"Don't worry about it Kaylee, if you want to go with him, I'll make him take you," Cass boasted sarcastically, while flexing her arms.

Kaylee giggled, "Well even if you do, he is going to be too focused on keeping me out of any trouble rather than his own safety."

"Oh, and you don't think I'm keeping an eye out as well?" the woman pretend to be insulted.

"If you are, I haven't noticed past your ogling of him," she teased the older woman.

"He's hard not to notice, especially if you haven't been laid in a while." Cass leaned closer to Kaylee and suggested, "Maybe you could convince him to kiss you since you haven't had a first kiss before."

"What?" she tensed as her cheeks turned a bright red.

"Never tried blushing before, probably has a soft spot for girls who blush."

"Just stop," Kaylee blurted out while trying to cover Cass' mouth.

"Why?" Cass jumped off the car with an amused expression. "Don't act like I haven't noticed anything."

Kaylee stared at the other woman with a blank expression, "Act like what?"

"Must not realized it yet then, have you?" the woman shrugged and begin to pace slowly away.

The curiosity of missing something bad had her off the car and following the woman, "What do you mean I haven't realized it yet?"

Cass rubbed the back of her neck while looking at Kaylee in disbelief, "I thought it was obvious…"

"Hey you two, we need to talk," Parker called from a short distance.

Kaylee looked over and saw the man walking with two NCR soldiers towards them. Judging from his casual walk there was nothing wrong, though she couldn't think of anything that could be that didn't involve an attack by a gang or the Legion. Cass seemingly forgot about their conversation as she steered herself towards him. Kaylee simply moved over to him as well since the woman wasn't going to continue the conversation.

"So these two here," Parker indicated to the soldiers, "have offered me a small job of clearing out a valley near Helios One of radscorpions and destroying there burrows."

"Sounds rather dangerous, what size are we talking?" Cass questioned.

"Just mostly the little bastards," a soldier spoke up, "a mix between the bark and rad ones."

"There have to be bigger ones if there little fuckers crawling around," Cass shot back.

The soldier gave a sigh, "There has been a few of the average sized ones that wonder out. Oh yeah, and there was one giant one that crawled out of there about a week ago."

"Cass of course it's going to be dangerous," Parker pointed out, "besides we need the caps. They said they give us three hundred for just clearing out anything we come across and seven hundred if we destroy the burrows. It'd keep us good for a while."

"Hey now, I never said I wouldn't do it," Cass sassed back, "I was just making sure you understood since you can run ahead without thinking sometimes."

"I didn't think I'd be doing it alone," Parker chuckled, "I'd rather have you and your shotgun in that valley if we come across any of those dam giant things."

"So how are we going to destroy these burrows without explosives? Unless you got a stash of dynamite hidden back at the apartment," the woman joked.

"Well that's one thing we don't have to worry about, the soldiers are supplying us with more than a few sticks for the job."

Kaylee had been standing off to the side as the conversation had unrolled with only one thought in mind. This was going to be her chance to help make Parker want to keep her around. She was going to give him a reason not to think her useless and burden even though her legs shook with fear at the thought of radscorpion charging her. It's nothing compared to shooting at the slow moving ants or tiny little geckos. In truth, she could feel the nagging of thinking it was his way of leaving her behind.

"Parker," she began, her voice low and a little unsteady at first, "I want to go with."

Rubbing the back of his head, "I thought it best if you wait back at the room."

"I want to help," she responded quickly, "It would only be fair that I go as well." She spared a small glance to the two soldiers standing by Parker who were muttering to each other while eyeing her up and down.

"She's right Parker, she deserves to go if she wants." Cass interrupted, "If she is going to travel with you, she should pitch in as well."

His brows furrowed slightly as he took a few moments to respond, "Alright, I'm not going to argue. If you want to go Kaylee, grab your stuff and let's get going."

Just before she went to grab her things, Cass turned with a small smile and gave her a wink.

* * *

The three of them traveled over to Helios One and gathered the sticks of dynamite and followed the two soldiers over to where the entrance to the valley in the mountain side was. The pass would have been hard to find if it weren't from the bones of dead animals protruding from the sand near the rock walls. There were also a few small radscoprions milling about the entrance to the valley. The beasts quickly fled back into the safety of the valley at their approach.

"Why don't you just collapse the entrance to it?" Cass spoke up to one of the soldiers.

"There is supposedly a path that leads through to the Long 15 Highway," a soldier responded, "it would be an advantage for the NCR if we can clear it of the pest problem."

"So you don't know if it does or doesn't?" she raised an eyebrow.

"No, and we don't have the men to spare to clear the place out, though help from civilians is always appreciated and rewarded as best as possible." The two soldiers stopped, "Anyways, the way in is there as you can see. When you're done, go and talk to Lt. Haggerty." Without another word, the two turned and walked back to old worn down building in the distance.

"Well are you two ready?" she called out as cheerfully as she could.

"I've been ready Cass, though I don't think you are," Parker stated plainly. "You need to quiet down or I'll break all the whiskey bottles when we get back to the room."

"Oh haha, you're so funny Parker," Cass sassed back.

'Um, shouldn't we all be quiet?" Kaylee mumbled out in a nervous tone. Her legs still shook with the idea of walking into the valley, but the want to prove herself to Parker was greater as it had pulled her this far.

"You're right," Parker agreed, "Cass should have known to be silent."

"I was just trying to excite you out of your dull look there boy," the woman shot back.

"Alright, this how I think we should do it," Parker began, "Cass you lead since that shotgun will blow anything in front of you to pieces and Kaylee can help you with any while reloading. I'll cover the rear."  
"What are you, some kind of chicken boy?" the woman teased.

"Give me the shotgun and I'll take point," he responded fast with a small smirk.

"Hand over my baby girl to you? You'd probably break her after the first shot. Well you can only use her if you promise me a little fun in bed later."

"Can we just get going?" Kaylee asked more than a little uncomfortable with the banter. "It'll be dark by the time we get anywhere."

"So," Parker returned to the plan, "we do our best to sneak through to other side if there is one. If not, we'll move back and at the halfway point start blowing the burrows up and kill whatever tries to kill us."

"Sounds good to me," Cass responded, seemingly bored all the sudden.

"Alright Kaylee, I want you to use the 10mm pistol, it has more shots per magazine than the rifle." Reaching into his bag he pulled out a few magazines, "Here are some filled magazines, just in case."

Taking them from Parker, concern filled her voice as she asked, "Are you worried that it's not going to be fine?"

"I'm not worried in the slightest bit. Between Cass blowing limbs off easily, and the few armor penetrating rounds I have, it should be a breeze," he spoke with confidence, "though if there is one thing the NCR did teach me in basic, it's that you should always be ready for the worse."

"I think Kaylee, is that he wants you to be more focused behind us because he'll be too busy enjoying the view," Cass chuckled quietly while Parker pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed irritated.

"What can I get you to stop pestering me with that Cass?" Parker began, "On second, forget I even mentioned it. Let's just try to be out of the valley before nightfall."

"Whatever you say boss," Cass stated in a poor attempt at being serious as she began to walk towards the valley's entrance.

Kaylee followed a step or two behind the woman while Parker kept a few feet between them. They moved slowly into the valley and found it would be rather difficult for a giant radscorpion to fit through. As they moved further in, they came across the rotting remains of two wastelanders in ragged clothing. The smell caused Kaylee to become nauseated with the slight taste of vomit in her mouth. She kept her eyes to the ridges above to avoid having a picture be imprinted into her mind of the two. Cass came to a halt with a quick glance behind before continuing. The woman's expression was calm and focused, but Kaylee could tell that her body was tense with anticipation.

They had passed more than a few burrows as they passed beneath an arch that was made by the formation of the rocky ridges above. Stopping beneath it, they gazed out into the bowl shaped area. Some vegetation grew here and there, but it was mostly just scattered rocks. There were now radscorpions to be seen anywhere. The place was just empty. The sun was setting and causing the area to be bathed mostly in ominous shadows.

Parker urged Cass to move in and up the hill that was directly ahead of them. After a moment of scanning, she led them across the dusty ground and up the hill, "Looks like it there would be a way out that way."

"We should probably see just to make sure before causing any loud noises," Parker whispered to Cass, "wait!" He brought the rifle up fast unsure of what had caught his eye. As he peered through the scope, Kaylee followed the direction he was searching.

On the ridge above where they entered through under the arch were two giant radscorpions sitting almost motionless. Their claws would move slightly or their stingers would sway to the side. Kaylee's heart jumped at the sight of them. Her feet trembled as she put all her effort into steadying her hands. She didn't want to end up shooting anyone like she did Michael.

"Alright we're going to back away slowly down the other side of the hill," Parker spoke just above a whisper, "and we're going to get a safe distance away and figure out what to do."

"Parker!" Cass hissed quietly. He slowly turned his gaze away from the scope to look at the woman. Kaylee turned her attention and followed the direction to what her companion was pointing at. On a ridge higher and closer to them, there was another one of the bastards. Only this one was moving, thankfully not in their direction though close to the edge.

Before anyone could make a peep, they watched a rock the size of a basketball come loose from the ridge. The crack from the rock landing against stone echoed throughout the valley causing the one who had made the sound to turn round and the two on the far ridge to perk up. As the sound of the rock faded, it was replaced by that of many rasping hisses. Through burrows all around them, radscorpions poured out more than a few giants ones came out on the higher up ridges while the more average sized ones filled the bottom of the gulch like water. It wasn't hard to notice that the wave of hissing creatures had caught sight of them. The sun made it easy as it bathed them in an orange light.

Nearby, Kaylee could hear the sound of a wick catching fire as Parker yelled out, "Run!" Before turning to follow Cass, she watched the red stick of dynamite tumble through the air and land into the wave of radscorpions storming the hill. An explosion mixed with pained hisses filled the air a few seconds later.

Parker grabbed her by the arm and pulled her with him. His rifle was slung over his shoulder and he had another stick of dynamite ready but unlit. He let go of her as her pace out did his. Cass' shotgun echoed every few steps as she blasted away the smaller ones that crawled out of their holes. Glancing over her shoulder, she could see that he had the explosive lit and tossed it under hand towards a burrow. A giant radscorpion dropped down from the ridge not far behind Parker.

Biting her lip and taking a gulp, Kaylee stopped and turned. Raising her pistol up, she took aim quick and fired off two rounds. The first glanced off the beasts hide and the other managed to get one of its many eyes. It squealed in pain as it brought its pincers in front of its face; stopping it momentarily. Even though her heart was beating a mile a minute, she couldn't help but feel proud of herself for hitting her target both times at a moment like this. She had barely got the two shots off as Parker took hold of her free hand as he dropped another stick of dynamite a few feet from where they were. Her last sight of the hill was filled with radscorpions. The explosion followed quickly filled with the same sound as before, yet with one painful hiss that was louder than the others.

Reaching the end of the valley, they were greeted with a sandstorm. Parker never let go of Kaylees hand as he took hold of Cass' as well. "We'll lose them in the sandstorm!" he yelled over the wind, "Whatever you do, don't let go!"

With that he pulled them further into the storm. The fear Kaylee had felt earlier was gone. It was replaced by excitement now. They had ventured into a death trap and pulled out of it without any problems. Even if the sandstorm was the main reason that they were safe from the horde of beasts behind them, she was happy that she was able to hold back her fear.

They weren't traveling long before they ran into a small hill with a metal door in it. Parker quickly ripped the door open without a care of what might be on the other side. Cass pulled Kaylee in while he entered and closed the door; shutting out the storm. They stood for a second as they took in where they were.

They were standing on a stairwell with lights built in to light the way down. Dim lights lined the metal walls all the way down the staircase. Each step they took further into the place was observed closely to be sure they weren't going to set off any traps. Parker had Kaylee in the back, but he held her hand.

Reaching the bottom, they entered an average sized room made of concrete, though part of the wall to the right had fallen in and left a pile of rubble. There were broken crates on the wall to the left with an electric lantern lit. By the rubble was a makeshift bed. Cass and Parker checked the area for traps before allowing Kaylee to walk away from the stairwell.

As she walked around the rubble, she caught sight of Parker at a terminal typing fast, "What are you doing?" He ignored her, continuing to type at the terminal making her feel a little hurt.

"Come on Kaylee," Cass wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "let's get eat something. I'm starving." She followed the woman over to the crates where they rummaged through their bags for something to eat. Kaylee kept an eye on Parker as he continued to type. His previously calm expression was only getting more irritated at each second he spent at the terminal.

The room remained silent for several minutes. Cass and Kaylee ate some Fancy Lad Snacks when Parker slammed his fists onto the terminal. He turned to them, "Crummy pre-ware junk."

"The hell were you expecting pretty boy? That you'd hack into that computer like you were born to do it," Cass scoffed. "You were never good at those things."

"Yeah, well I thought I'd at least try to figure out what the hell this place is," he kicked a piece of rubble.

"Just chill out and relax a bit. We're probably going to be here for a while," she pointed out.

"How can I relax when this could be a hideout for the Vipers or Powdergangers?"

"Their markings aren't anywhere, so sit your ass down boy. It's not like we're not going to keep watch." He let a sigh and slide down against the wall leaving Cass with a small smirk. "So let's tell some stories while we wait."

Kaylee perked up at this as she had been fascinated by the stories that Michaels father had told her. "You tell the first one Cass," Parker mumbled.

"Fine grumpy," Cass chuckled, "So there's this place far to the east called Point Lookout where there was a feud between two families that lasted through the dropping of the bombs…"


	8. Chapter 8: Still in the Dark

Cass was midway through her third story when the door by the terminal slid open and three men in power armor stepped forth with laser rifles ready to fire. Parker had his rifle up and aimed at the newcomers. Four others quickly rushed into the room from the way they had come to escape the sandstorm.

"Drop your weapon and you won't be harmed!" one of the men commanded.

"How can we trust you?" Parker responded quickly.

"You'd be dead already." It didn't take long after Parker placed the gun on the ground and the seven men to throw bags over their heads and have their arms tied behind their backs.

Kaylee cooperated as best she could with the men as they guided her. They went deeper into the room and down several stairs. The further in they went, the stale air changed to a fresher more easily to breath air. Every twenty or so feet she could hear a faint beeping past the clanking of metal boots on the grates of the floor.

For a reason she couldn't understand, she was hardly scared. The men certainly gave her no reason to be past the bag over the head and arms tied behind her back. They hadn't pushed or shoved her as they went along though Parker seemed to be getting harassed. There were multiple times she would hear a few steps of his boots as he stamped across the floor as he attempted to keep from falling over. Each time he would grumble something about shoving a man who can't see.

After a few minutes of walking down halls and a few more sets of stairs Kaylee felt her bonds fall free and the bag was removed from her head. She stared into the small dimly lit room that had two small beds against the wall in opposite corners. A door closed behind her with the sound of bolts locking into place. Turning around to look at the door, she quickly noticed the intercom box next to it.

"Looks like were prisoners," Cass remarked as she crossed the small space to a bed.

"They're the Brotherhood of Steel right?" Kaylee questioned as she sat by the other woman.

"It sure as hell looks like it judging from the power armor."

"Of course their brotherhood," Parker stated as he examined the door, "Though why we're prisoners is the thing I don't understand."

"Because they don't kill on sight or enslave people like the Legion does," Cass spoke as though the answer was obvious.

"It's not that simple Cass."

"Then what are you saying? That they should have just killed us back there?" Kaylee gripped at the blankets, the safety that she felt earlier was beginning to crack.

"They don't exactly like the NCR anymore, not after what happened between the two five years ago." He paused as he inspected something on the door, "Anyway the NCR had no idea where they went after their last battle in the Mojave so all assumed that they were gathering strength somewhere."

"So what does that have to do with them deciding whether or not…"

Cass interrupted the girl, "It's so they can keep themselves hidden away. They don't want anyone knowing that their still here."

"Precisely," Parker turned and sat against the wall with his arms resting on his knees. "But it doesn't explain taking us captive. Only thing to do is to wait."

* * *

Hours passed as they sat in silence. The only things they could hear were voices that echoed from somewhere down the hallways. Parker had remained sitting against the wall by the door while the other two had fallen asleep on the beds.

He was impressed by how well she has been dealing with things since Nipton. She had been quite distraught over what had happened there. What had happened to her the few days before didn't help that much either. He was just glad to pull her together before his mask of calm broke. When she had embraced him at the town he found that it was almost too much to bear. The memories from when he was at the dam had flooded his mind. He had said the same things as well…

Parker's attention turned towards Kaylee who was lying on the bed across from him. He didn't know why he took Doc Mitchell's offer to take her home as repayment for the medical service. There was no gain to be taking her; he could have easily scrounged up the caps within a few days. He took her with though, possibly because she reminded him of Amy if only by the blonde hair and blue eyes.

He had to convince her to stay behind somewhere safe. Cass' words bounced through his mind, 'She trusts you… She followed you out into the Mojave…' She won't be safe with him, and leaving her in some town would likely lead to her just to chase after him into the desert blindly. A part of him enjoyed having her around and he liked that she was tougher than she looked, but he mostly just felt the need to return her to the simple life she had. The need to protect her from the dangers of the Mojave yet with each passing day he found that it didn't matter much as to where one was. The dangers would eventually come.

The door to the room opened but no one entered, but a voice commanded, "We need the man to come with us." Parker stood and stepped into view of the door only to be staring down the barrel of a laser rifle. "Take off your clothes, and follow me. The elder wishes to have a word with you."

"Then why didn't he come here?" He questioned.

"He wishes it to be as formal as possible, but wants to be sure you have no weapons." Parker stared at the man for a few seconds before turning to look at his companions who had woken up. He was slightly surprised that Cass didn't have a big fat smile as he stripped down to his underwear and t-shirt. He at least expected some kind of sexual remark, but given the situation she clearly knew better. Kaylee gazed at him worriedly to which he gaze a small smile before walking out the door.

Three men in power armor guided him down the metal hallways of the bunker. As they went, Parker scanned the area noticing most of the sentry turrets of the hallways right away. On top of the computer defense, there was many other Brotherhood members walking about with laser weapons either in hand or slung across their back. Most of them wore power armor while the others wore what appeared to be awkwardly made leather armor. He dismissed any thought of attempting to escape.

After a minute or two of walking Parker was led down a narrow passageway that opened into a large circular room with a dull white light that emanated from the ceiling. The room was scarce of any real furnishings except for an electrical map against the wall on his right and the round desk that sat on a dais in the middle. A man with short graying hair sat behind the desk which was covered in papers and books.

A few moments passed before the man took notice of the new comers. He set aside whatever he was looking at and spoke curiously, "Is this the man?"

"Yes Elder," one of the guards responded while giving Parker a push forward. Parker took the step up onto the dais and stood, waiting to be addressed.

The Elder scanned him up and down as if he was looking to buy a slave, "What were you doing at the entrance of the bunker?"

"Taking cover from the horde of radscorpions we agitated in the valley nearby. We hid in the sandstorm and found a door."

The Elders eyes were hard but thoughtful before asking, "And what were you doing in the valley?"

It would be pointless to try to hide the fact that the NCR was the main reason to why they were there, "We were being paid to clear the place out so that the NCR could attempt to make another supply line. They gave us some dynamite to blow the burrows up as well."

Raising an eyebrow, "Why would anyone go into that valley with what you three were armed with?"

"They never had entered the place, simply gave us a report of what had come out which gave me the idea that even with our weapons, we would easily be able to do the job."

"Well now you're here," he sat back in his chair, "and we can't let you go now that you know the location of our base."

"I wouldn't tell anyone as long as I can leave with my friends," Parker spoke in the same calm voice, though he knew that they couldn't leave.

"Of course you know I cannot let you go," he paused as if waiting for Parker to react, "there simply isn't any trust that you wouldn't betray us. I was lenient to spare you since this bunker is in lockdown, though I propose you do some favors to gain our trust."

"What do you have in mind?" Parker question, compelled to get his friends and him out of this place alive.

"An NCR Ranger has begun to set up post in one of the bunkers up top. I want you to get rid of him," the Elder leaned forward, "and you're going to be required to wear this." He held up a slave collar.

"It's hard to give trust when you don't get any," Parker took a step forward causing the three guards to ready their weapons. He took the collar slowly from the Elder and placed it around his neck. Once in place, a small beep sounded out that it was armed.

"I understand, but we have many enemies. Paladin Ramos will show you the way out. I'll be interested to see how thoroughly and efficiently you carry out this task," as he finished his last words, he turned his attention back to the papers on the desk. The guards took him by the arms and pulled him away.

He was taken back to where they had captured him hours before and gave him what looked like a few brown sacks having been stitched together to form some ugly looking clothing. Luckily the clothing covered the explosive collar. He checked the few other bunkers in the area for the man only to find him in the last one he found.

Parker walked down the stairs to be staring down the barrel of a gun like he expected, "Thought you'd sneak up on me you filthy powder ganger?"

"Keep pointing that gun at me and I'll stick it up your ass," Parker couldn't help but bark at the Ranger.

"Ha! Got some stones on you, son. I like that. What can I do for you?" the Ranger eyed him suspiciously, though he lowered his rifle.

"What are you doing in the bunkers here?"

"I was thinking of setting up a safe house in one of them. It would make it easier to fight against the damn powder gangers to the south. It's remote," he stopped himself, "well it seemed remote until you showed up."

"Run into any problems since you've been here?"

"The only problem I got past the place not being as abandon as I thought is that my radio ain't workin. Safe house is no good if the radio doesn't work. Though I'm not going to lose any sleep over a goddamn broken radio."

"I think its best you know that Vipers operate in the area and use this place to do business every few days or so," Parker hoped his lie wasn't obvious. "Since the powder gangers broke out of that correctional facility, the activity between the two has increased as well."

The man thought the information over for a few moments, "Well shit, I don't want no powder gangers slitting my throat in my sleep. They have a deep hatred for the NCR since we locked them up in that prison. Not to mention the Vipers." He gave parker a slight punch to the arm, "Thanks man, I'll be packed up and out here before they have a chance to find me here."

Parker gave the man a nod and turned to leave. His pace up the stairs was slow, but once out the door he took off sprinting and hid behind rocks near the bunker leading towards the Brotherhood of Steels entrance. He waited till the Ranger emerged from the bunker and left.

Thankfully when he returned to the Elder the collar was removed. He was still followed by three guards throughout the entire complex. The Elder seemed pleased as he was smiling when Parker walked in. Whether it was the sack clothing or that the deed was done he couldn't tell.

"I see you have done the deed and we won't be seeing the Ranger again."  
"I didn't…" Parker started.

"I know you didn't kill him," the Elder interrupted, "the collar has a microphone and I listened in on your conversation. I like how you used his fear the Viper and Powder gangs to send him off. Now let's talk about what you need to do to get you and your friends out without having to worry about us stopping you shall we?"


	9. Chapter 9: Please Don't Go

Parker walked back into the room where Kaylee and Cass had been waiting. Cass immediately covered her mouth as she attempted to muffle a laugh. "Laugh all you want Cass," Parker responded as normally as he could. "Look, you two are free to move around the bunker now with the only restriction being that of the security level. You'll be shot on sight."

"Slow down there," Cass' amusement fading quickly, "why did they take us prisoner?"

"They thought we could be of some use to them," he paused for a second, "otherwise they would have killed us."

"And what? Do they expect us to live down here with them, never to leave again?" the woman's tone filled with anger.

"Calm down," he responded as he began striping the stitched clothing for his old clothes. "I'm working on getting it so we can leave."

"What are you going to do?" Kaylee took a step towards Parker, her face showed the worry she felt.

"He gave me two tasks to do and if I can complete them, then we're all free to go."

"Well is it anything I can do to help?"

He finished buttoning up his red plaid shirt, "Look Kaylee, I'm going to be honest with you here." He took a glance at Cass who was eyeing him suspiciously, "You can't come with, nor Cass."  
"And exactly where are you going?" the woman questioned with anger.

"Just stay here and don't get into any trouble," Parker spoke turning for the door, "I'll be back as soon as I can."

He walked out the door without looking back and proceeded down the hall. He assumed the only reason Cass was angry was because she had to stay in a bunker that likely didn't have any whiskey or alcohol. She calm down by the end of the day and find something to do.

Parker hadn't noticed that Kaylee was only a step or two behind, "When are you going to be back?"

"I don't know," he responded as he kept walking without looking at her.

She was silent for a few seconds before speaking up again, "What is it that you have to do and does the pip boy have anything to do with it?"

He glanced down at the pip boy that the Elder gave to him, "If you must know, the Elder wants me to locate his missing patrols and retrieve the reports from the few scouts he has out. The pip boy will help me find them."

"What if you don't come back?" the question caused him to stop.

There was always the chance that he wouldn't come back. She had every right to ask him that question. As far as he could tell she could be thinking that he was looking for death. First in Goodsprings when he helped the town against the powder gangers, but they were just a bunch of poorly organized thugs. Then there was Nipton. He had wandered into the town completely knowing what he was going to find. She was even worried that he would disappear when he attempted to leave the room at Novac. Maybe Cass was right. Maybe he was all that this girl had left to hold to until she could get steady.

"Look Kaylee, I just want to get this over with," his voice was low and tired, "I'll get back when I…"

"Please don't go!" she reached weakly for his hand.

He kept his hand out of reach and responded, "Kaylee, I'm not going to let you or Cass turn to dust down here unable to see the sun again."

"Promise me then," she interrupted him, her voice almost pleading. "Promise me that you'll come back."

He stared at her hesitantly as he didn't want to make a promise he couldn't keep. He had made one with her back at Novac, but that was something easy to do. This was something he couldn't say for a hundred percent that he would be fine and walk through the doors of the bunker without a scratch. "I can't be sure."

Kaylee lick her lips as her gaze turned to the floor, "Please… Just promise that you're only going to do what that man said to do. Nothing else."

He felt a slight ache in his chest at the almost defeated sound of her voice. Parker placed a hand on her shoulder causing her to meet his eyes. "Kaylee I promise that I'll be back."

* * *

Parker had stopped Kaylee at the stairs to what she assumed was the security floor and walk up the stairs slowly. She turned to return to Cass only to realize that she hadn't been paying attention as she pleaded with the man. He made the promise just as she wanted. It wouldn't change anything and she knew it. Somewhere inside her, she just needed him to promise. She didn't know whether it was the fear of dying down here or having the chance to travel the Mojave with him for just another day.

She hadn't realized she had caught the attention of a woman dressed in similar clothing to what Parker had been wearing only with a hood that was pointed in an arch from the back of the head. Her smile was wide and slightly unsettling as the woman stared at Kaylee.

Kaylee turned her gaze and decided to pick a random direction to go figuring that she would find her way back to the room she was at earlier. She didn't get far before the woman called out behind her, "Don't be shy, I just want to talk! I won't bite!"

She ignored the woman following her around as she traversed the bunkers hallways. Every way she went seemed to just circle back to where she was or get her lost even more than before. It didn't help that she didn't know what level she was on before chasing after Parker.

After a half hour of frustration she turned to the woman who stood there with a bright expecting smile. "Can you show me back to my room?" she spoke a little embarrassed, but mostly she was discomforted by the overly happy expression on the woman's face.

"Ok," she responded without sounding in the slightest bit irritated by Kaylee's actions. "My name is Veronica."

"Kaylee."

"So where are you from?" Veronica asked as she turned around and started walking leisurely.

"Nipton," she replied in a low sad tone as she followed the woman.

"What's with the sad face?" she questioned with a curious look.

"It was attacked by the legion a few days ago," Kaylee spoke as calmly as she could as she held her emotions back.

"I'm so sorry," she paused, "I'm not really sure what to say. Is the Legion in control of the dam?"

Kaylee simply nodded no for an answer, "I'd rather not talk about the Legion." She didn't know how quick she would break down in front of this woman if they kept talking about the legion. "What about yourself? Where are you from?"

"From this bunker silly," Veronica giggled.

"So you were born here?"

"No, I was born at another Brotherhood strong hold, but when I was old enough I was put into a Chapter which was sent here."

"What do you do down here?" Kaylee gestured about, "The Mojave haven't seen the Brotherhood in years."

Veronica's smile dulled at the question, "Not much anymore since the lockdown."

"Lockdown? Why is the place on lockdown?"

"So what's your story with that guy?" she was clearly attempting to dodge the question.

Kaylee decided not to push the question, "He's a friend. He's just helping me out."

"Really?" she spoke a little unsatisfied.

She didn't know why this woman would care if she was friends with Parker, "Yeah, we're just friends."

"Well then he must be with the other woman then," replied back as if everything was cleared up.

"Who? Cass?"

"If that's the other woman you're traveling with, then yes."

"They're just friends," Kaylee cleared up quickly.

"So he's not sleeping with either of you?"

Kaylee's cheeks burned with embarrassment at the question, "No!"

"Really?" Veronica asked a little baffled. "You're not pulling my leg are you?"

"Not at all," she gave the woman an awkward smile. "Why do you ask?"

"Well you seemed more than a little upset and," she gave Kaylee an odd shrug, "he seemed equally, if not more concerned for you two's safety."

"He was?" she perked up.

"Yup. When he was talking with Elder McNamara he was trying his best to make sure you and Cass would be able to leave this place eventually."

They were both silent for a few moments before Kaylee finally spoke up, "What do you think his chances are of coming back?"

"I'll be honest with you," Veronicas enthusiasm fading completely, "I know he's a courier and all, but he's going to be completely alone out there. If he so much as talks or shows someone else to where he is going, then the Elder is going to send out assassins on him."

"You don't think he can do this on his own?" she questioned disheartened.

"Well yeah, if the Mojave is anything like the way we think, he went walking to his death…"

The fearful feeling welled up inside Kaylee again. She couldn't explain the reason why she was so worried for his safety. He had proven himself capable and resilient to the dangers of the Mojave. He was always calm about everything they had encountered. Then it hit her. She wasn't concerned about her about just his safety, but she didn't want to lose him. Whether he took her with him if he came back, she didn't want him to die for her just because she was weak and unable to make it on her own. Her heart ached at the thought of him not returning.

* * *

Parker had spent most of the day circling the area to the first patrol team was. He wasn't even more than half hour to hour away from the bunker and these Paladins had already met their demise by centaurs. The men were sitting in what looked like an old crater from a bomb dropped long ago with more than a dozen of the mutated beasts all about. They never strayed far from the bodies as if drawn to the radiation.

The pip-boy he was given showed that the area was close to deadly levels, but if he was to be in the radius of the rads emanating from the crater, it could prove to be deadly. It had hardly mattered as he only spent a few minutes rifling over the power armored bodies. He was able to lure the centaurs away from the crater and into the valley that was still somewhat teeming with radscorpions. It didn't take long for the two mutated beasts to start ripping themselves apart.

After he had retrieved the holo-tape, he preceded south-west towards the correctional facility. It was somewhere around midnight when he found the first scout. After Parker had received the report on the situation with the powder gangers he continued south towards Nipton. On the stops he made towards the now surely completely abandoned town, he read over the report that the scout had given him. It gave him no new information on the trouble making gang. They used the facility as a base of operations to send out their raiding parties on caravans. The gang was slowly spreading and gaining its own foothold in the Mojave, though it couldn't get much bigger without risking to loose many of their men.

It was early in the morning, when he was nearing Nipton. The little blip on the compass of the pip-boy was pointed up into the mountainous hills that shadowed the town. He wearily climbed up the rocky terrain, debating whether or not he should just call it quits and take a nap. He sighed to himself as he stopped and looked out over the town in the mornings pale light. Kaylee came to mind quickly and how he practically sought death in the town. He thought he was past those intense feelings towards the Legion.

It had to be the stress of being shot in the head by the man named Benny and the brooding thoughts of revenge against him that brought back those old feelings when he came across the work of the Legion. It was that or the thought that they dared cross into the land that he fought and almost died for almost four years earlier.

"Stop right there," a voice commanded from behind him, "If you want to live, you best turn back now."

"I'm Elder McNamara's representative. He said to ask if the bears are still hunting."

"Strange the Elder would send an outsider, but I suppose he has his reasons," the man responded suspiciously. "My observations have been mainly to the south of here. The town there was cruelly attacked, its inhabitants slain nearly to the last…" he broke off as if realizing something. "You're that man that came in the middle of the night about a week ago. The one that the Legion let go. Interesting."

"Yeah, that was me," Parker answered the scout, but his mind wondered for a few seconds on how many times a Brotherhood scout was watching him. "Is there anything else?"

"Yes, the NCR seemed not to have done anything about the attack, and haven't done anything since. This leads me to believe that NCR is incapable of protecting anything against the Legion. The few observations I've made slightly to the east of here gives evidence that the NCR is losing their foothold in the southern part of the Mojave."

Parker gave a yawn, too tired to really think on the report given to him, "Hope you don't mind, but I'm going rest up here."

"Fine by me," the Scout began, "I won't be here when you wake up though. Best be a light sleeper."

"Traveled alone enough," Parker sighed.

"One thing, why did they let you go?"

He rubbed the weariness out of his eyes, "To spread word that the Legion is coming."

"Perhaps the NCR isn't our enemy after all," the man muttered to himself.

Parker had heard him, "When you spend years in a bunker with almost no contact outside of it, things change."

"It was for the good of the bunker and those of the Chapter. I don't think that we will be leaving till the dust settles out here. The Mojave is a time bomb that is getting closer to going off."

Parker didn't respond. He thought about the last words the scout had spoken. The man was right. Fiends controlled a good portion of the ruined city just outside of Vegas while the Viper and Jackal gangs combined with the powder gangs have been weakening supply lines. Now the Legion is truly making its move. It was a matter of time. As he drifted into sleep, his mind turned to Kaylee and what he was going to do with her.


	10. Chapter 10: Keeping Busy in the Dark

Parker continued on after waking up in the afternoon. As the Brotherhood scout was gone as he had said. He made his way quickly to the outskirts of camp Forlorn Hope to get the last report from the scouts. The journey didn't take long to accomplish as he kept a steady pace, but was constantly searching the hills for any activity. He was to the scout's position by the evening and attained the scouts report. It had gone like the first two had with them raising interest in the fact that the Elder had sent him and a quick detailed report of the area. He thought about it as he continued his way through the night towards the REPCONN headquarters.

The third report consisted of observations of the lack of strength that the NCR has in the area. The man said himself that the NCR camp seemed to be lacking in supplies needed for the men that occupied the hilltop and the lack of men to defend the position. Their supply lines had also been getting raided so the few amounts they do get is hardly enough.

This wasn't exactly surprising to Parker. He had known and observed this himself as he traveled the Mojave as a courier. It was obvious that the NCR had their troops spread thin in the area as they tried to hold peace everywhere. What bothered him were the details about the Legion. The few times scout said that the army from across the dam was responsible for the attacks. Not only that, but legion activity had advanced a great deal on this side of the river since their last scouting some many months prior to this report. Cottonwood Cove was now in control of the Legion and the NCR had done nothing from the way the scout made it sound. They had even attacked the small outpost of Nelson.

The scout at Nipton was right about what he had said. The Mojave was a bomb just waiting to blow. Everyone knows it was coming, but the thought has drifted out of mind over the past four years. The last great attack by the Legion was that on the Divide.

Parker's hatred flared at the thought of what happened in the Divide, bringing back the memory of him fighting on the dam. He had no doubt in his mind that if he saw the crimson red, he would charge without hesitation. Till his last breath he would fight any who came his way.

Kaylees distraught voice filled his head,_ "Please don't go…" _

His anger was extinguished at the thought of leaving her in the bunker, forced to live the rest of her life in the darkness. Nor could he leave Cass either. The surface wouldn't be safe, at least not for Kaylee. Cass could handle herself as she had been traveling the Mojave a few years before he had. She had been hardened from traveling around in her caravan. She knew how to handle herself in dangerous situations.

Kaylee on the other hand was weak. He wasn't trying to degrade or make her seem worthless, but it was the truth. Blaming her would be the wrong thing to do since she spent her life safely in a town. As scared as she was when she first set out, he could see that she was capable and willing to adjust to this kind of life. It was clear that she wanted to learn and he was intent on teacher her. He just wasn't sure when he would do that. The threat of war in the end will determine what he does.

* * *

It had been a few days since Parker had left the bunker. The time only passed at a decent rate as Veronica had kept Kaylee busy talking about trivial questions about dresses. The woman was very fond of dresses even she had never owned or worn one. She just assumed that she would look through some of the old world magazines and books when scavenging to see women in elegant clothing. The only thing she found that Veronica was more passionate about was the power fist she had. It had only kept her from asking Kaylee questions for an hour or so as she was given a long and boring explanation on how the device worked along with the fighting capabilities. She attempted to pay attention though it got boring fast.

Veronica had fixed that by showing her to a machine that was supposed to simulate real combat. The two of them had spent more than a few hours each day in the simulation shooting at randomly generated targets. The scenery would change from wide open prairies to small towns while placing each target in harder to hit spots. Even though her shooting was getting better slowly, she felt that she wasn't going at the same pace as she was when Parker was helping her. Regardless of that, she was still enjoying the activity even if it was a simulation. It felt more than real from the kick of the rifle to the sun shining on her face. It gave her a view of the world before the war and how beautiful it was.

Outside of using the combat simulator she attempted to spend time with Cass when Veronica would disappear to do her assigned work during the days. The only time Kaylee would see her friend was when she returned to their quarters, which was still the room they were taken to when they were taken captive. Cass was busy trying to get lucky with one brotherhood initiates having said it was going to be the only entertainment in the dull bunker without any liquor.

Since she had nothing else to do, she had wandered around the bunker. She stumbled up on the historical terminal room on the second day there. The scribe in charge was furious about a virus that had entered the system from a holotape that they had uploaded. Even though she had very little experience with computers she had offered her help. As upset Scribe Ibsen was with the situation, he took her up on the offer as there wasn't many even working on stopping the virus. He had an initiate named Stanton, take to a side room with a single terminal to start teaching her how to find and isolate the virus.

Kaylee spent the next two days learning what she needed to do when she wasn't with Veronica in the combat simulator. Stanton hadn't seemed any upset with having to teach an outsider. It was obvious how fond of her he was. He would make try to distract her by pointing at something on the screen in order to place a hand on her shoulder. If she was doing something wrong, he would simply reach around her and gently move her hands out of the way and correct her work.

It didn't bother her as she was used to it from when Kyle had done stuff like that. She simply tried to keep anything physical touching to a minimum and in ways that couldn't be confused with affection. They would eat lunch together since Veronica went off to do whatever it was that she did.

It was the end of the fifth day that Parker was gone and Kaylee, Cass and Veronica sat in the bedroom together talking. Veronica went on and on again about the dress she wanted and asked Cass questions about her past. The woman responded to all them which eventually turned to funny situations she found herself in while having sex.

Kaylee had sat quietly next to Veronica on the bed and mostly thought about the past few days not really paying attention when Cass broke her concentration, "Hey Kaylee, that Stanton guy has been gawking over you for the past few days…"

Veronica interrupted the other woman with a snicker, "Gawking? More like drooling over her though I can't blame him as I find it hard not to either."

"Oh and I'm some mole rat?" Cass acted offended.

"Easy there Cowgirl, you're a little too wild for my tastes though nonetheless beautiful," Veronica responded, but turned her attention to Kaylee. "What do you think of Stanton though?"

"He' very nice," she paused for a second, "handsome but I'm not really interested in him that way."

Veronica began to smirk, "So, you're not interested in any guy here?"

"No," Kaylee responded slowly, unsure where her new friend was going.

"Then how about some of the women?"

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but she isn't interested in women," Cass spoke up before Kaylee could. "At least the one she does have her eye on isn't in the bunker right now."

"Hey you weren't lying to me," Veronica started but was stopped.

"She's into Parker," Cass threw out there.

"What!" Kaylee almost shouted in disbelief. Was this what Cass was about to tell her back at the scrapyard? "We're just friends."

Cass raised an eyebrow, "I'm not trying to be rude here, but you smile a lot more often when he is around. You have to know where he is all the time."

"There is nothing wrong with that Kaylee," Veronica piped in.

She didn't know what to say so she just repeated, "We're just friends." At least that's what she has been telling herself. She felt safe around him, especially when traveling out in the Mojave. He makes her feel stronger than what she normally thought possible of herself.

"Are you sure?" Veronica questioned. "You seemed rather upset to see him leave a few days ago."

She could feel her cheeks turn a bright red and warm, "I-I was just…" She stopped herself and took a deep breath while taking a glance at the two women. Both of them looked at her curiously, "It's clear that I have no real idea of how to handle myself out in the Mojave although traveling with him has only made me want to stay doing it. It makes me want to keep doing it, but I feel like I'm a burden on him."

"Kaylee, don't beat yourself up over that," Cass attempted to comfort her, "Sure you're inexperienced, but even someone who has spent their whole life out there has the same chance."

"Besides, who wouldn't want a pretty girl like you around all the time," Veronica added while wrapping a comforting arm around Kaylee.

"He seems like he wants me around, but I get the feeling he doesn't at the same time," Kaylee responded in a low voice. "Can you really blame him?"

"Well if you're not into him," Cass changed the subject, "is that one guy, Kyle or whatever it was."

"Who's that? Did he get you a lovely dress?" Veronica quickly questioned.

Kaylee hadn't thought about Kyle since telling Cass about how she ended up following Parker a week or two before. He had been rather rude, but as always she had passed it off as entitlement since everyone thought they should be together. He was charming when trying to swipe her off her feet, but she could always tell that he was furious when it never worked. When she was a few years younger she enjoyed the flirting they had done.

"Just some boy, and no he didn't," Kaylee answered. "Well he did actually get me a dress."

She went on to answer all the questions that Veronica bombarded her with about Kyle while Cass sat silently listening. She only told the good times with Kyle. The more she kept talking about him, the more she realized that she enjoyed most of their interactions.

"Sounds like more than just a boy," Veronica teased.

"Veronica," Cass interrupted, "it's getting late and we should get some rest."

"Oh," Veronica popped off the bed, "I hope I didn't miss meeting Scribe Schuler. He'll be furious if I did."

After Veronica had left Cass turned to Kaylee who was changing into her sleeping garment, "Alright look, I want to know this cause now it's bothering me."

"What is it?" she responded to the woman while pulling down the night gown.

"Are you or are you not interested in Parker? Because I can't think of anything else as to why a girl from a town would follow a courier out into the Mojave."

Kaylee sat back down on the bed and stared at her feet. She just wanted to travel the desert, right? Then why when he touched her would she get anxious in a good way. She acted as though she was losing something valuable to her whenever he left, even it was just going outside.

After a few moments she finally spoke up, "I might."


	11. Chapter 11: REPCONN Security

The REPCONN building creaked with old age as Parker sat in a back room near the entrance to the building. He had thought it was a small closet but once he got the lock picked, which didn't take long, he discovered more than he thought he'd find. Immediately in the corner of the room were three ammunition containers. Two of the containers were filled mostly with microfusion cells and a few random bullets. There were three pulse grenades in it in the last container. The counter was littered with more microfusion cells with a plasma pistol lying in the mess. A plasma rifle sat in the other corner of the small room. He found two stimpaks, rebound, and med-x in a medical box on a metal shelf.

The room alone was enough to get a few hundred caps if he took it all with him, but he had already found roughly a hundred forty seven caps in the desks. Parker was surprised by this as he assumed the people of the pre-war era would have just thrown the bottle caps away instead of collecting them as some of the people in the building had.

He had finally hacked into the terminal in the other room and was able to register himself into the facial database of the company gaining himself access to the first floor. It took him long enough to accomplish the task as it took him the better part of the day he was there to finally gain access, but he found it was worth it in the end. From it he figured out that like the first floor, the second floor required the facial registration but also a key card as well. The leaders of this company were clearly vigilant at making sure any secret of they had was kept secret.

Further investigation of the terminals that were still active, he read about a weapon called V. 35 quantum plasma modulation matter injection rifle. Some had referred to it simply as Q-35 matter modulator. He assumed that the weapon was being kept in the one room he hadn't explored yet on the floor since the door to it was locked up type. The lock itself wouldn't be a problem for him, but he was unsure if some alarm system was rigged to the door if not opened by the terminal by the door. It would have to be something he did on the way out after finding the patrol that's either on the second or third floor.

Checking the time on the pip-boy he saw that it was nearing the evening and decided it was best to sneak onto the second floor. If possible, he would take any opportunity to reach the third floor unnoticed. Parker didn't want any unnecessary fight with all the patrolling security robots. Since they were the protection of the building, he had no doubt that they were all linked somehow to alert others to an intruder. Plus, the varmint rifle he had wouldn't do much to the metal plating even with piercing rounds.

Grabbing the pulse grenades and made his way back out into the offices and headed towards the locked door which might hold the proto-type weapon. Before he could turn to go up the stairs, the security bot that patrolled the first floor came hovering over to him.

"Halt!" Parker turned to face the robot as it stopped in front of him. It floated for a few seconds before replying, "Valid authorized facial pattern detected. Carry on REPCONN employee. Remember, only you can prevent corporate espionage."

Parker didn't wait for the robot to return to its patrol and continued up the stairs. He had no worries about the bot since it had done its check more than once since he accessed the terminal. All the other times he was given thirty seconds to leave the restricted area of the building.

At the top of the stairs, he pushed the door opened a crack. When he didn't see anything he entered into the hallway. He went right first, but was greeted by two hallways full of debris from the floor above. The hallway to the left of the stairs was unblocked but just one peek around the corner told him what was in store for him. A security bot drifted slowly down the hall with other bots passing through on further down passageways. He could see through a broken door on the left side of the hall. It revealed the bathroom wall had fallen apart and led into an office room. A terminals pale green glow emanated from the room.

Judging the timing right, he slipped into the hallway when the security bot made its round. The bathroom door creaked open and close as made his way in. Glancing around the wall of the toilet, he stalked into the room and to the terminal. After a few attempts at hacking the computer, he gave up and continued on through the rooms connected to the one he was in.

The security bots stayed in the hallways for the most part, making it easy to sneak into each room on the floor. The only one that gave him trouble was a rather well locked door, similar to the one on the floor below, though he didn't bother to try and open it. He made his way to the end of the hall where the stairs were as quick as he could after searching each room.

Climbing up the stairs quickly he slipped through the door at the top. Checking the pip-boys map, he could see that the blip was only a few feet away in a nearby hall. Turning the corner, he spotted what he had come for. Through the gap of the intersecting hallways he could see that the ceiling had collapsed down. Underneath it was the dead body of a Brotherhood of steel. Parker couldn't help but feel pity for the man. They had been hidden away all this time in order to protect a sliver of claim to the Mojave. When they finally decided to see what the surface was like, it only led to the loss of more men. Just like the days before they hid themselves in the dark.

He took no caution as he crossed the hall to the body. He caught sight of another sitting against the wall. He decided to search the one not buried by rubble. After a few moments of searching, he found the small case carrying the holotape. Tossing it into his bag, he took one last look at both men. What became of them is just a constant reminder of what the Mojave can do to even the most vigilant of the people.

He had hardly noticed the security bot that had wandered down the hall, "Third floor access is for executives only. Please identify yourself and speak the code word. Failure to comply will result in hostile response."

"Shit," Parker muttered underneath his breath, one of his hands reaching for a pulse grenade.

* * *

Cass, Veronica, and Kaylee sat in the dining hall of the bunker talking about the Brotherhood's history. They had been working on isolating the viruses on the historical terminals. Cass had no clue on what to do, so she simply called one of the two women or Stanley over to isolate the virus for her.

"Father Elijah was a good man. I just wish I could see him again and figure out why he left the chapter..." Veronica spoke dismayed.

"I'm sure he has his reasons Veronica," Cass attempted to comfort the woman. "Parker left me in Vegas for what seemed no reason."

"It's not just that though. He didn't even trust to tell me where he was going."

"Maybe he didn't want to tell you until he was ready too. You know, maybe it was dangerous and wanted to protect you."

Veronica let out a sigh, "I'm just glad that Elder McNamara was able to care of the chapter as he did. Even if have been sitting around and doing nothing underground."

Kaylee hadn't seen Veronica this upset since she had met the women. She had always been cheerful. "What about Christine? Have you ever thought about trying to go find her?"

"I would have gone to visit her, but the Elder would forbid it. When I leave the bunker it's for scavenging anything of use only. I have tried to send letters to her, but I guess she got assigned to a position that doesn't allow her to receive them." Veronica gave a shrug of her shoulders, "Besides, Father Elijah was right. She was getting in the way of my studies."

"What, fooling around a little too much on the side?" Cass joking questioned.

"Cass," Kaylee chided the woman, "what does it matter if that's what she was doing."

Veronica smirked cheek to cheek, "Well we did do that a lot. Though we mostly got in trouble for not following the rules. I know one day I'll see her again."

The three of them sat silently for a few moments before Cass nudged Kaylee, "So how are you going to handle Parker?"

"Why are you so focused on this?" Kaylee could feel her cheeks burning up.

"What do you plan to do when you see him again?" Veronica leaned across the table while lowering her voice as if Parker could hear. "Are you going to jump into his arms?"

"I'd love to see his reaction if you were to do that," Cass teased.

"Come on guys stop, I'm not even sure if I do or not."

"I know you're dreaming about him Kaylee," Cass put a comforting hand on the girls shoulder. "I hear you say his name in your sleep."

"Ugh, are you keeping things from me again girl?" Veronica pretended to be hurt. Before Kaylee could answer, the woman continued, "So what have the dreams been about? Are they romantic like you two holding each other?"

"Easy with the questions Veronica," Cass held a hand up, "she's not going to talk in ask to many questions." She poked Kaylee's arm, "So was I right? Are you dreaming about him?"

Kaylee let out a defeated sigh. She wasn't going to be able to get away from this. "No I'm not, at least none that I can remember." She ran a hand through her hair, "I am finding that he's on my mind more often."

"Is that why you've been slacking with the simulator?" Veronica pestered.

Kaylee gave a weak shrug, "It doesn't help that he was the first person to show me how to shoot."

"You should see the smile that's on her face when they were at the scrapyard," Cass shook the girls shoulder. "Whenever he wasn't looking it would spread across her face."

Veronica's stare told Kaylee exactly what the woman was going to say, "That doesn't mean anything. I enjoy shooting the guns."

"What Cass said doesn't make it sound like it. You should tell him how you feel."

"She's right, it would be best to him. Besides, the most that will happen is that he doesn't feel the same," Cass leaned back in her chair.

"What if he leaves me behind?" Kaylee questioned while she avoided looking at either woman.

"Not this again," Cass spoke irritated. "If he didn't want you around, he would have made it clear and told you."

"Okay, but he did just leave you out of the blue," she countered.

"Just trust me. Whatever the reason was that he left me had to be good enough for him not to tell me. Tell you what, if he does, you and I will track him down and teach him a lesson for doing so."

"If you ever needed the help, I'll be willing to help find him," Veronica offered. "Of course, if it ever happens."

"Look let's just drop it for now," Kaylee asked. When neither said anything, she spoke, "I'm going to try the terminal again if you two want to join me."

She was just hoping that distracting herself would dismiss the feelings that the conversation brought up. Heart felt like there was a hole in it. Each time she thought about Parker it would bring about a pain. If she did have the kind of feelings that Cass seems to see so well, then she didn't want to be clingy to the man. She had done so since Nipton and the only way to stop was to become stronger herself. She would have to be as useful as Cass in a dire situation. She didn't want to be his burden even if they stayed friends.


	12. Chapter 12: Blue Moon

The sun was beating down hard on the Mojave as Parker made his way back to the valley where the Brotherhoods bunker was. He was just happy to be done with the tasks given to him. The last two weren't in the least bit easy. The security bot at REPCONN had nearly taken his arm off when trying to escape; thankfully the pulse grenade had taken care of it. He had taken out the bot but not before the saw blade had slashed him across his arm. The bots on the lower levels were in such a frenzy trying to find the intruder that sneaking back through was impossible. He busted through the locked door he didn't bother to open in order to avoid the plasma bolts from the bots. The floor in that room had collapsed somewhat to the floor below which housed the proto-type gun he read about. He didn't care anymore about any security system and ripped the gun from its holding place and left the building as fast as he could.

It was nothing compared to venturing towards the Boomer territory. The men there are mad though possibly not as mad as the man that sent a patrol into the territory. It truly was amazing at how well the power armor held the two Brotherhood men together in that crater. One of them was only missing their legs and half their face. The other merely was missing an arm and a leg. He was lucky he didn't end up like either man. He managed to get to the men and retrieve the undamaged holotape before being bombarded by artillery. Besides the few bruises and scratches from debris being blasted near him, he made it out just fine.

Entering the bunker he was greeted by the scrutinizing gaze of Paladin Ramos. "So you are back outsider. Elder McNamara wants you to present everything in person."

"Just show me the way," Parker spoke impatiently. His body ached from what he had gone through and wanted nothing more than to return to Novac and drink.

"Right this way then," the man shoved Parkers shoulder. The two descended further into the bunker. Other Brotherhood members stopped to stare and whisper about him as they went deeper. He could always hear the same thing over and over again amongst the murmurs. They trusted him because the Elder did, but in truth he knew they didn't trust him.

As he continued on he caught a glimpse of Kaylee standing down a side hall. She looked stiff standing there. He couldn't understand why. Her eyes were filled with joy and the gentle smile that spread across her lips. From the way she acted when he left made him believe that she would have jumped into his arms at the first chance given.

He put her out of mind as he entered the Elders quarters. Elder McNamara sat behind his desk as he had before he left. This time though Parker had the man's full attention the minute he walked in.

"So you have returned finally," McNamara spoke. "A little banged up as well. I'll have Senior Scribe Schuler look at you when you're done giving me the full report."

Parker handed over the holotapes and gave the reports of the scouts. The Elder listened carefully to everything that was said. The only time he spoke was to clarify on what had happened to the patrols. He left out what one of the scouts had said to him. That the Mojave is a bomb waiting to go off.

"They're all dead then," McNamara quietly said.

"What do you expect when you sent them where you did," Parker responded irritated at the Elder's sudden dismal feeling for the lost.

"It has been years since we have left this bunker," the Elder countered. "The chance of it happening was great. They were great men and will be missed, though now we have a better understanding of the situation in the Mojave."

"And what are you going to do?" Parker questioned.

"I need time to think on this. It is a lot of information at once." For a few moments the Elder seemed to drift off into thought but snapped back to reality, "Of course, you and your friends are free to go. Though be warned, if you betray this location to anyone, we'll know."

"Before I go, what will you give me for this?" Parker pulled the Q-35 matter modulator out and showed the man.

McNamara stared at the weapon in awe, "Where did you get this?"

"It was locked up in the REPCONN Headquarters. I stumbled across it when I was trying to escape."

Rubbing his chin, the Elder offered, "I can let you fill up on ammo and offer a few of our lesser weapons of your choosing."

"Is any of it laser weapons?"

"No, those are reserved for those of the Brotherhood. We have a few pistols and sub machine guns that we have scavenged."

"I'm assuming you don't have much ammo for the guns in the first place, so I want some medical supplies. A few stimpaks and some med-x."

The Elder spent a few minutes thinking it over, though Parker could swear he was marveling at the gun, "It's a deal." He pulled a piece of paper over to him and began writing down a list of things and signed it. "Take this, Scribe Schuler will give you the medical supplies and Knight Torres will show you what we have to offer with the weaponry and ammo. Paladin Ramos will guide you."

Parker turned without a word and left the room with Ramos following right behind him. He was taken to the bunker's armory where he spent a good hour looking over the small assortment of weapons they were offering him. There were more than a few 9mm pistols that were in rough shape. He spent most of the hour taking them apart and separating the non-rusted parts to the side. By the time he finished he had one pistol in good condition and another that was adequate. He managed to find a few parts to replace a few rusting pieces in his varmint rifle. Paladin Ramos took Parker to the medical room where he got his arm re-stitched and collected the supplies that he was guaranteed. He was then taken to where Cass and Kaylee were.

Cass came walking up to him with a smile, "So you are alive. I was beginning to wonder."

"Not really the place I'd have expected to find you," Parker remarked at the terminals all over the room.

She sighed irritated, "There isn't much to do down here and they don't have any liquor either."

Looking around the room he asked, "Where's Kaylee?"

"She's been busy keeping helping out down here. It's helped me keep an eye on her though." Cass searched his eyes for a moment, "Where are you planning on going?"

"To Novac," he answered as he walked further into the room.

He found her typing at a terminal. She didn't take notice as she scanned the screen for something. Quickly she turned from the terminal in a rush and ran into Parker. He caught her by the shoulders before she ran into him. "Parker!" she scratched the back of her neck and took a step back. She wouldn't meet his gaze.

Before either could say anything, someone further back in the room spoke up, "It's too late Kaylee. It jumped again." A young man rounded the corner with a frustrated expression, "We were so close this time…"

Parker glanced to the man then back to Kaylee, "Who's this?"

"The name's Stanton. You must be the outsider the Elder sent out."

He didn't take his eyes off his companion, "I see you've made some friends."

Cass walked up behind Parker, "Yeah, these two have been trying to remove a virus or some thing from the terminals here."

"He helped teach me what I needed to know," Kaylee spoke up, her eyes finally meeting Parkers.

He noticed how Stanton had moved rather close to her, "I've done what I needed to do. I'll be leaving again soon. So you two should gather your things unless you plan on staying here."

"Fuck that. You're not leaving me down here," Cass stated then jokingly added, "Maybe you should live down here a week and see if you would want to stay." Kaylee slipped past the two without a word causing Parker to give Cass a quizzical look. "What?"

"She's quiet. Is something wrong?"

"Why don't you ask her," she gave a shrug and followed the girl out. "Just meet us at the entrance."

He gave a sigh and made his way for the exit. Paladin Ramos followed him back to the entrance as if to make sure he was leaving. Kaylee and Cass met up with him after a few minutes of waiting. Cass pushed through the doorway out and up the last set of stairs out of the bunker. Kaylee was right behind her as they seemed to race to see the sunlight again.

* * *

Kaylee talked with Cass the entire time they walked to Novac. Parker had stayed more than a few paces ahead on the trip. It helped her keep herself from dashing to him. Cass thankfully didn't bring up anything about how she was suddenly so distant from him though she assumed that the woman might know why already. Veronica had suggested taking it slow and waiting for the right time to tell Parker how she possibly felt while Cass just wanted her to just tell him. Unfortunately Veronica couldn't come with them as the Elder wouldn't allow it.

They went north and headed towards the 188 Trading Post before heading south towards Novac. The sun was setting when they had arrived. Parker headed straight for the fridge in his room and took out a bottle of beer and sat down at the small table against the wall.

"What can't get me anything?" Cass complained as she entered the room.

"I got you out of that bunker so you could drink again," Parker countered. He pulled his bag up to him and began searching it until he pulled out two 9mm pistols which he set onto the table.

"What the hell Parker, no whiskey?" Cass shouted as she rummaged through the fridge some more.

"You drank every drop I had." Parker got up and opened a drawer of a dresser and grabbed out a small case. He proceeded to take apart both guns and begin cleaning them.

Kaylee sat down on the couch watching him while drifting in and out of her thoughts. She wanted to say something to him. To let him know that she possibly might like him, but she was concerned of how he would react. He seemed tired and possibly exhausted from what he did over the past week, and to bring this up may make him make a wrong decision or even push him to not want her around anymore. She had been so quiet to him because she was trying to not cling to him and telling him it right now would certainly go against what she was trying to do.

A few hours passed by as she sat there thinking over the constant circle of thoughts while Parker had checked and cleaned all the weapons. It wasn't long before Cass had drunk enough to pass out on the bed. The room was silent except for the soft cries of the pack brahmin's that were locked inside the gate for the night.

"I'm going to bed Kaylee," Parker spoke up finally. "I don't know if you want to stay up or not. There are some magazines over there."

"That's fine, I'll go to bed too," she responded quickly while reaching for her bag. She got up and headed for the bathroom.

She began undressing until she was merely in her panties then tugged on the sleepwear that Cass had let her have. She reached for the door handle but stopped herself. Her cheeks began to burn as she realized what she was wearing. Looking down at the pink garment she had on, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed as it revealed a large portion of her chest and down to her knees. Outside the door she could hear him kick his boots off as he plopped down onto the couch.

She wasn't doing anything wrong, yet she didn't want him to see her like this. Her stomach started to flutter at the thought of walking out and seeing a desiring expression on Parkers face. What if he thought her some kind of slut for this? Cass wear's these kinds of garments and he seems fine by it, so why would it be different for her?

Her heart started pounding as she turned the door handle and stepped out and walked over to the bed. Parker was already lying down with his shirt off. She caught herself staring at his toned body before he noticed her. He was about to say something but stopped. His eyes scanned her from head to toe while lingering on her chest for a second longer causing her face to turn completely red as his face was still calm like always.

After a second he spoke up, "Go ahead and lay down, I'll get the lights." She couldn't help but feel disappointed at reaction as she laid down in bed. Her stomach remained queasy at the thought of his reaction changing now that she wasn't looking at him.

She didn't know if she could deny possibly not having feelings for him as she laid there mulling over different scenarios of just the two of them being in the room together. Each thought ended in him holding her in his arms as they kissed, but she would always dismiss the thoughts as foolish. The doubt that he was still thinking of a good place to leave her was still ever so present, even after he returned to the bunker when he could have just left her there.

Kaylee sat up unsure of what the time was. She had to do something to get Parker off her mind or at least try to focus on something less sentimental. Crawling out of the bed she got up and quietly dug out a pair of jeans and a button up shirt which she put on over the sleepwear. Carefully she moved about the room as she tried to find the varmint rifle in the dark. After a few minutes of searching she found it and headed for the door. She grabbed her bag since it had ammo for the rifle in it.

She was about to open the door when Parker tossed and turned on the couch. Minutes passed as she stood there motionless. She wasn't sure if he was awake, but if he was, wouldn't he had said something already? Just above a whisper she called out, "Parker?" She waited a few moments and received no answer. Quietly opening the door, she snuck out.

Kaylee had traveled about a half hour away from Novac to the scrapyard. After collecting several tin cans, she set them up on an old car that was sitting in the moonlight. She spent an hour firing at the cans with the thought of impressing Parker on how much better she had gotten since his absence. She was able to rapid fire the rifle accurately enough to hit each can majority of the time.

Every few minutes she would feel like she should return to the room. She didn't want to change the way Parker may think of her if he caught her away like this at night. It would be possible that he would think she was more capable of handling herself, but that thought didn't hold much ground over it being a reason for him to be angry with her. She was going to make sure she replaced the ammo since it was his to begin with.

After a while she ended looking at the sky while lying on the car. It was always beautiful and peaceful at night when the stars were out. She wondered how many times Parker had spent nights under the stars when he was doing courier work.

She was drifting in and out of sleep when she heard footsteps. She assumed that it was her mind playing games on her since she was so tired. When the steps continued to advance she thought it was Old Lady Gibson's dogs, but her heart began to beat faster the closer they got.

"What do we have here boys?" a voice spoke nearby. A voice that sent a dreadful feeling down Kayle's spine.


	13. Chapter 13: Orange Colored Sky

"What is a pretty thing like you doing out?" the man's voice came off as menacing to Kaylee.

She sat up and stared at the man who was only a few feet away. Her body began to shake uncontrollably at the sight of the man's friends. They didn't appear to have any firearms but neither did she. She had left the rifle on the ground while she had drifted off in her thoughts.

"You've gone and scared her Mark," one of the men spoke in a gruff voice.

"Will you shut the fuck up," Mark snarled loud enough for Kaylee to hear. "Are you out here alone?"

Kaylee was hardly hearing anything that the men were saying. She was just trying to remember Parker's calm voice. Anything he said would be enough for her as long as it would give her the strength to at the very least control her shaking.

"I ain't gonna ask you again girl," Mark spoke slightly more anxious.

She sat for a moment staring at the three men as they inched forward. An idea popped into her head. She almost blurted out, "I'm out here with Old Lady Gibson. She'll be back any second now."

The three men stopped their advance and looked about nervously. These men clearly had a fear of the woman, let alone the woman and her dogs. Kaylee began to slowly slide forward on the hood of the car. The men murmured to each other in hushed voices, none of them had their eye on her. If she could get ahold of the rifle she so foolishly left on the ground. How could she have made that mistake when she was trying to become more like Parker and Cass.

One of the men turned to stare at her with a sinister look, "If that old bat was coming, we'd have her dogs biting at our heels already."

"She was just getting something from her shack," Kaylee felt her heart would burst at how fast it was beating in fear.

"He's right," Mark spoke up, "Johnny must have taken her out as planned." Mark dove forward towards the rifle lying on the ground.

Kaylee let out a shriek and bolted off the opposite side of the car away from the men. "Don't let her leave the scrapyard! I don't want her hurt either," a familiar voice filled the air but she was too to think of who it was.

She bolted through the piles of scrap metal with the sound of someone running behind her. She didn't know what to do. What could she do? Making a break out into the desert wouldn't solve anything. She wouldn't be able to make it back to Novac without one of the men catching up to her or her legs give out from exhaustion. Tears began to stream down her face as she wished she was back in Parker's apartment.

She slid to a stop as a man jumped out in front of her. Turning quickly, she attempted to run down a side path to avoid both the man behind her and in front of her. Before she could get away, the man grabbed hold of her shirt. The buttons of her shirt gave way and popped off causing her to slip out of her shirt. She stumbled forward but was able to keep herself from falling onto the ground. The two men behind her growled in their frustration as Kaylee continued to run.

As she rounded around another pile of scrap she ran directly into one of her aggressors. His arm wrapped around her waist as he caught her. Immediately he threw her to the ground. Kaylee quickly began trying to crawl away only to have a hand grasp her ankle tightly and pull her back. She kicked at the man only to have both legs get restrained. In a desperate attempt she whirled around and scratched at the man's face.

The man growled in anger, "You fucking bitch." He slapped Kaylee across the face. He grabbed hold of her belt and dragged her closer before flipping her onto her back. As soon as her belt was yanked off she tried to crawl away again. The man pulled her pants down to her ankles, "I don't care what he's paying us. I'm going to have my way with you." The man stopped for a moment as her took in the pink garment she was wearing. "Look at what the little slut was wearing underneath all that clothing boys," the man remarked to the other men with pleasure as she began to sob.

"I think she wanted someone to take advantage of her."

At the sound of a zipper being unzipped Kaylee attempted to crawl away weakly. Her fingers dug deep into the sand. She knew how this was going to end but she couldn't give up. The men cackled at her desperate attempt to drag herself way.

The man grabbed hold of her hips and pulled her one last time towards him, "When I'm done with ya, my buddies are going to have a go at you." The only response he got from her was a faint whimper.

* * *

Parker woke up for the third time that night. The second time he could have sworn that he heard someone moving around the room but he had fallen asleep only a few seconds after being awaken. He turned his gaze to the bed which caused him to sit up.

"Kaylee?" he called out into the dark room. He let a moment pass before he jumped off the couch and flip the lights on. Cass remained passed out on the bed. He crossed the room to the bathroom and knocked quickly. When he didn't get a response he threw the door open to find the room empty.

She had been acting strange since the bunker so he assumed she went outside for some air. He had only spent a few hours in the place and felt that the lack of space was a little uneasy. Exiting the room, he glanced down the walkway to see if she was nearby. The area was empty and the night was silent except for the brahmin. It was odd to him that she wasn't in the room or just outside it. He couldn't fathom the idea that she thought she was ready to travel on her own. Cass and her had spent the entire time since arriving back here in the room so there was no way she could have made a deal to travel with a caravan. He opened the door to the room and noticed that her bag and the varmint rifle were missing.

The only way he could find out anything was to ask Boone. Parker made his way for the dinosaur. He practically ran up the stairs to the top of the building. He was becoming nervous of where she went. She had grown on her and he didn't want anything to happen to her. He had made it obvious that he wasn't going to send her away. He couldn't explain why he felt responsible for her and only wanted her to be safe.

He slammed the door open to the mouth of the dinosaur, "Boone, have you seen her?"

"God dam it Parker, I'm going to shoot you the next time you do that," Boone scolded.

"Just tell me if you saw the girl or not," Parker found himself yelling.

"If you're talking about the blonde headed girl that's been following you around," Boone began in his monotone voice, "she went by about two hours ago. From the way it looked, she wasn't carrying much in the bag."

"Which way?"

"North, towards the scrapyard and Helios One."

Without another word Parker left the room with haste, leaving Boone alone in the mouth of the dinosaur grumbling about something. He burst back into his room and grabbed both 9mm pistols and put the spare clips into his pack. Cass didn't even stir to the commotion that Parker was causing. He didn't have time to waste to wait for her to sober up enough.

He walked at a brisk pace from Novac intent on finding Kaylee before she could get far if she was planning on leaving. He would be fine if she didn't wish to travel with him anymore but he wanted her to tell him and leave during the day at least. Though if that was the case, he would still worry about her safety but respect what she desired. She hadn't said anything, leaving him to feel compelled to protect her.

He was sprinting when he came into sight of the scrapyard. The closer he got, the slower his pace became. If Kaylee was here in the scrapyard, she would be fine. Old Lady Gibson would take care of the girl. The dogs would be more than enough to protect from the petty gangs in the area. The old lady would hardly be afraid of those drug addicts though the same couldn't be said for a Legion raid.

A scream filled the air stopping him in his place for only a moment before forcing his legs to move as fast as they could. Each step he took forward made his fear turn to rage. He wasn't mad at Kaylee in the slightest bit. He wasn't sure what he would do if she was hurt.

Entering the scrapyard he took out his pistol though his stride never faltered. It didn't take long to find the source of the scream. In that same instance, he aimed his gun and began firing at the three men chuckling over something. Parker's anger affected his accuracy but the three men had fallen before he ran out of bullets in the clips. Pulling out the second pistol he ended a fourth man who struggled to stand up from the ground. He noticed that the man's pants were down causing him to glance toward the prone figure on the ground.

Before he could react, Parker was tackled to the ground. His pistol flew from his grasp. His assailant stood up from the ground and began stepping towards the firearm. Parker took hold of the man's leg and in one swift motion slid out his knife and stabbed the man in the back of the thigh. He ripped the knife out and plunged it into the man's lower back as he fell onto the ground.

Parker forgot everything around him as he tore into the man with the knife. The sound of someone yelling to flee brought him back quickly. Scanning the area quickly Parker could see one or two men scattering away as well as hear dogs barking. Once his eyes landed on a trembling prone figure, his rage subsided and was replaced with the concern he had before.

He rushed over and fell to his knees at the sight of Kaylee. She was covered in dust with pink garment ripped in various places and her pants pulled down. Her face was buried in her arms which muffled most of her weeping.

The moment Parker touched her, she whirled around and started hitting him. "Get away from me!" she screamed

Parker didn't try to restrain her, only spoke softly, "Kaylee. It's me." She continued to hit and shove him away but weaker each time. He took a quick glance around, "Everything is fine Kaylee."

The moment she wrapped her arms around him, Parker could almost feel her pain from the sobbing. "I'm sorry Parker… I-I didn't want you to worry…"

"Kaylee," he wrapped his arms around her, "I need to know if you are alright." The only response he received was her arms tightening.

After a few moments she surprised Parker. She let go of him and pulled her pants up while standing up, "Parker… Take me back to the room…"

"Of course, let's just gather your things," he replied.

He took out an old worn blanket and draped it around Kaylee's shoulders. She was quiet as they made their way around the scrapyard in search of the few things she had. Old Lady Gibson saw them off. The old women had been trapped in her shack with the dogs. She was only able to escape when the brute guarding the shack left. The sky was beginning to brighten as they made their way out though by that time Parker was carrying Kaylee in his arms. She rested her head against his chest with a few sniffles here and there. He refrained from asking her anything as to not force her mind anywhere she may not want it to be.

She was the first to break the silence though her voice was low and had a slight tremble, "I know what it looked like… They didn't violate me… I was just…"

"I understand Kaylee," Parker interrupted her, "you don't have to say anything more." It was a relief to know that he managed to get there in time to stop the act. A beautiful girl like her can easily grab the attention of scum like the men he killed. He found that he cracked a smile at the thought that he himself had been distracted merely by her looks before.

"I shouldn't have gone out on my own. I should have woken you up…"

"Yes, you should have," he kept his tone light. He knew how heavy words can be in her current state.

"I know you're mad at me now."

"I'm not mad, just concerned." Letting out a sigh, "I just want to know why you went out alone."

She was quiet for a moment, "I wanted to contribute in some way since you and Cass are just letting me tag along. I thought if I could get better at shooting that I could lift the burden I am to you two."

"Kaylee you're not a burden. How could you think that?"

"Because I'm useless," from the deep breaths she took, Parker assumed that she was about to cry again.

The words just came out of him without hesitation or thought, "You can't be useless since you're contribution is being there for me, to keep me from doing something rash. If it wasn't for you I would likely either be lying in a pool of blood or hanging from a cross by now." He didn't know why he said it, but it felt completely true. He could have easily left her and Cass behind at the bunker where both would have been safe.

"Really?" she responded quietly.

"Yes. There is no doubt in my mind that I wouldn't be chasing down Legion if I didn't feel the need…" Parker hesitated, unsure whether he should say it.

"The need for what?" she prodded.

"To protect you." He added, "And don't think that I believe you're incapable of doing things. You've hardly experienced the Mojave, and I want to be there to help you along just as Cass had for me."

He glanced down at her and found that his gaze was locked with hers. Her blue eyes and blonde hair gleamed brightly in the rising sun. She stared at him, eyes searching for something. Grabbing a portion of his shirt she pulled herself closer to him. Her face lingered a few centimeters away from his. Parker had stopped at her sudden movement. A tense mood had settled as quickly as she had moved. His heart began beating faster as her soft lips pressed against his. In that slight moment before she drew back, Parker couldn't help but feel that it was right. He felt lighter as though he was floating. He was ready when she went in for another.


	14. Chapter 14: The Only Exception

Kaylee felt like her heart was going to burst out of her chest as it was beating so fast. She couldn't believe that she had kissed Parker let alone had her first real kiss. Her heart had been beating so fast that she swore her chest might explode. The fear she had experienced earlier in the scrapyard was washed away the moment he had swept her into his arms and only brought forth that anxious feeling she has had when around him. She wasn't able to resist the sudden urge she had to kiss him up on hearing the kind words he spoke.

All she could think as she sat in the tub listening to the radio was that she had screwed up. The two kisses had felt magical and she didn't want the moment to end. It did though when Parker had drawn away from her. His face was masked with that calm expression but his eyes seemed conflicted. He didn't say anything. He simply kept on walking. Surely the reason he didn't say anything was that he didn't know how to let her down without doing more damage to her than what had already been done. She had made herself nothing more than a burden to him now.

"Kaylee!" Cass screamed from outside the bathroom. She opened the door as she continued, "Is what Parker saying true?" Kaylee sunk down into the water till it touched her chin. Parker may not have been mad, but Cass surely did and she didn't want to be lectured on her dumb decision. "I'm not hearing an answer Kaylee," the woman spoke impatiently.

"Yes, what he said was true."

"You can't just wander off into the middle of the night like that. It's dangerous as you clearly seen since you got raped."

"I didn't get raped," she shouted at her friend. The memory of the man's hands on her skin threatened to bring tears to her eyes. "I know what it looked like…"

"Thank goodness," the cowgirl sighed in relief. "But it doesn't change the fact that you shouldn't wander off alone."

"I know," she replied, her voice sounding defeated.

Cass pinched the bridge of her nose for second before asking, "Why did you go out alone? I know I was out like a light but Parker would have likely gone with you."

"Parker is the reason why I went to the scrapyard," Kaylee knew that it was naïve reason as to why she left.

"What did he do?" Cass her tone was almost angry.

"Can you close the door," she asked while peaking over the edge of the tub. The woman kicked it shut, but kept her scrutinizing gaze on the girl. Kaylee let a few moments pass before she sat up to see her friend better. "I was fairly certain of how I felt for him, so I put that on," she motioned to the pink garment on the floor, "and he saw me in it. He didn't even react."

"Kaylee, you can't let your emotions make your decisions on things like this. It's understandable that you were upset."

"Not as upset as I am now…" she mumbled.

The sentence had caught Cass by surprise as she hesitated to respond, "What do you mean by that?"

"I, well…" her cheeks began burning as she felt slightly abashed. "I kissed him as he carried me back to the room."

"What did he do? What did he say?" Cass asked intrigued, but her angry stare had turned to a sympathetic one.

"Nothing. He did absolutely nothing." She let out an upset sigh, "I'm just becoming a problem for him. Even if he said I wasn't."

"Why do you always have to beat yourself up like this?"

"Because doesn't feel the same for me," Kaylee responded, her voice wavering.

"But he hasn't said anything to you about it yet," the cowgirl countered. "What else did he say besides that you weren't a problem?"

"He said that he wanted to protect me," she spoke just above a whisper as she grabbed a towel and climbed out of the tub. "And that I keep him from doing rash things."

"And you feel like he doesn't care for you?" the woman's voice was filled with disbelief to which Kaylee gave a slight shrug of her shoulders. "He clearly has feelings for you. Maybe he just doesn't know how to express them. You can't deny that he hasn't been under a lot of stress."

Kaylee heard a low thud coming from outside the room followed by the sound of opening. She could hear the muffled sounds of Parker and someone else speaking. Cass had heard as well as she raised an eyebrow and slipped out the door.

Kaylee dressed quickly as she could hear both of her friends talking in the other room to whoever was at the door. Parker voice had raised and sounded completely different. He sounded defensive. '_Why though?_' she thought. '_If it were the men that escaped from the scrapyard, there would have been gunfire by now._' She stepped out of the room after she finished changing. The first thing she saw was a pistol in Parkers hand. What she heard froze her heart.

"Kaylee!" someone spoke excitedly from the door. She thought she would never hear it again since the attack on Nipton. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Do you know him?" Parker spoke over his shoulder.

She bit on her lip to hold back tears as she practically leapt across the room. Parker had quickly side stepped as she wrapped her arms around the man. "Kyle!"

"I thought I'd never see you again," Kyle spoke quietly to her while returning the hug.

"Is this that boy you talked to me about?" Cass asked curiously.

"Y-yeah," Kaylee answered as she stepped back and wiped a few tears away. The man in front of her may have always been rude when he brought up them being together, but outside of that he was always nice. It was such a comfort to know that someone was able to escape the brutal act of the Legion in Nipton.

"Why don't you two talk things over, I need to talk to Cliff," Parker suggested. "Just head back to the room when you're done."

Kaylee was too excited to talk to her friend to hear anything else that Parker might have said as she ran out the door. She dragged Kyle behind as she made her way down the stairs and into the small courtyard. Moving him to be arm's length away, she examined him from head to toe. He had a duffel bag slung over one shoulder with an assault rifle over the other. As usual he wore a frayed pair of jeans with a black leather jacket.

Giving him another hug she exclaimed, "I can't believe that you're here!"

Kyle gave a chuckle, "I'm just as surprised to see you alright as well."

"How did you… I mean I thought everyone…" she began stumbling over her thoughts.

"Settle down," he motioned with his hands. "The day after the dance the town noticed that you were missing so everyone started looking for you. Me and my father searched the area outside the town when no one found you anywhere in town." He let out an exasperated sigh, "While were out the legion had struck the town. When we got back the sky was filled with smoke and NCR soldiers wouldn't let us in."

"When did you get back? Like what day after the dance did you arrive back at the town?" she asked curiously.

"Let's see here," he made a low coarse sound with his throat as he thought back. "Oh yes, it was four days after the dance. We arrived in the late afternoon."

Kaylee ran a hand through her hair, "I can't believe this. We left that morning from the town."

"So," he leaned against the old rusting car that was left in the courtyard, "tell me what happened to you. Where did you go?"

She told him everything that had happened since she had left the town that night. Kyle had mentioned that he visited Goodsprings after the attack on Nipton and learned from Michael about the geckos and trip to the town. He listened carefully as she explained how Parker had gone into the town itself while the Legionnaires were still occupying it. The one thing she didn't mention was the brotherhood's bunker. She explained it to be that they were trapped up on a ridge with hordes of radscorpions roaming the area.

"That's why I didn't come across you when I passed through here a week ago," Kyle spoke up after she finished. "Michael had told me you went back to the town and a soldier pointed me towards Novac. It took me some time to find someone who was there when you stopped at Nipton."

"Did you really spend that last few weeks looking for me?" she felt flattered for once by something the boy had done for once.

"Of course I did, I care very dearly for you." He looked over at the dinosaur building were Parker and Cass had entered while she told her travels. "I can understand that cowgirl, but can you trust that…" he struggled for words before saying, "courier?"

She was confused, "What do you mean?" How couldn't she trust Parker? He had stayed true to his word with everything that happened. She felt foolish for thinking that he would leave her behind.

"You don't know anything about him," Kyle stated plainly.

"I know he grew up in Hopeville and the things he did around the town." She had to admit though, the stories he told her were of the trouble he got into. "He was also was a soldier."

"It sounds like there is a large chunk missing," his tone had become more serious. "Enough that he could be hiding something. He could quite possibly be lying to you too."

"You just need to spend some time with him," she sat down on the car with a foot between her and Kyle. He was right, Parker hadn't said much about himself.

"Look what he's gotten you into with those radscorpions."

"It was my decision to go with him," she spoke back slightly angry.

"What about last night? That sniper up in that dino said he saw him carrying you back last here last night."

She bit her lip as the memories of the night before was brought to mind once again. She just wanted to forget what had happened. Everything but the kiss she gave Parker. "He saved me from something stupid I did…"

Kyle merely shook his head but didn't push the subject, "Come with me. Head back west with me and my father. We can get far away from the standoff between the Legion and NCR."

"I-I don't know what to say." The idea of being somewhere safe and away from danger was appealing though she didn't want to be standing inside a shop all day again. As hectic as her travels had been so far, she would likely never see Cass or Veronica again. Then there was Parker. If what he said the night before was true, then she would truly never see him again. She would never know if felt anything for her.

She hadn't realized Kyle had scooted closer to her until she felt his hand on hers. "You'll be safe and away from any possible danger."

"I need time to think."

"What is there to think about?" he questioned with an incredulous tone.

"I don't want to leave my friends behind," she got up and took a few steps away from the car. His hand held onto hers until she was about to be pulled back by him.

Sounding defeated, "Alright in the morning I'll come by for an answer."

"I think I'm going to need more than a night to think about this." As she finished her sentence, the door to the dinosaur opened. Parker stepped out with a thoughtful expression.

"I'm in the last room to the right on ground floor," Kyle spoke low as if to only have her hear, "You can come by anytime." He walked off as Parker got closer.

Kaylee walked up to Parker which appeared to drag him from his thoughts. "What's up? Have a nice talk with your friend?" he questioned.

"Yeah, it was really nice to see him again," she could see that his gaze was towards Kyle. "Are you headed back to the room?"

"No but Cass is. She'll be out shortly."

"Where are you going?"

He indicated outside the wall with a small gesture, "Around. I need to think."

"That makes two of us then." She lowered her gaze as she asked, "Do you mind if I join you?" She quickly added, "Since you know, you don't want me going anywhere alone."

He motioned with his head to follow as he started up a slow pace towards the gate. Kaylee kept up as she walked beside him. As much as she wanted to think about Kyle's offer, she couldn't help but wonder what it was that Parker was pondering. Reaching the gate, they turned left and began walking down the road. He was completely silent as they made their way slowly to the bridge. Halfway across he made his way to the railing and leaned against the railing on his arms. She stepped over but kept a foot or two between them.

They sat there together in silence for what seemed like hours since the sky was beginning to darken. She had gone through a never ending circle of thoughts concerning Kyle's offer. The main points being that she be possibly never seeing her friends again, having to rely on him until she could support herself, and traveling the Mojave like she has always dreamed of. She tried not to think about it but every time she did, she would look over to Parker. He was always the same as when she checked each time before. His face gave way to no emotion, but his eyes were always staring off to the horizon.

"You know how I said I'd tell you more about my time as a soldier?" he spoke up suddenly.

"Yeah…" she breathed out slowly. She was curious but confused as to why he chose now to talk about that now. It wasn't like it was a bad time, but what made him want to talk about it?

"Do you still want to hear about it?" he questioned.

She kept herself from bursting out with a loud yes. As calmly as she could say, she spoke, "Only if you want to tell me."

He was quiet for a few seconds as if he was rethinking the decision before speaking up, "Private William Parker, of the first battalion 2nd platoon."

"William?" Kaylee muttered playfully.

"Yes, William," he gave her a small smile. "I was stationed on Hoover Dam as a guard. My platoon was the nearest to Legion controlled territory. It was before they had attempted to push into the Mojave so their fortress on the hill wasn't there at the time. I don't know if you would be able to, but imagine the stress of waiting for a raid or even a full out charge from your enemy at times of the day." she gave a nod that she somewhat could understand the feeling. "I was young and naïve still. I thought I was so much better than I was and that led me to make one of my biggest mistakes."

When he didn't continue, she waited a minute or two before asking, "What happened?"

"When I should have been off duty, I had taken a night shift of one of my squad mates. I was already tired from my shift. I fell asleep and the Legion attacked," His eyes dropped to the ground as while his tone became low and sad. "I'm sure you don't want a history lesson as it was the day they stormed the dam. Don't get me wrong, I fought tooth and nail in a failed attempted to hold the NCR's position on the bridge. I watched all my squad mates die around me before they had dragged me off. Because I was trying to…" he trailed off. With a shake of his head, "I'm going back to the room."

Parker turned and began to walk back. Kaylee followed behind him with questions filling her mind. She wanted to know more as he clearly didn't say the whole story, but didn't want to push him to tell more. The idea of him having been in captivity was hard for her to believe. The Legion normally hangs their prisoners of war on the crosses or selling them into slavery. An NCR soldier would likely be put on the cross of executed on the spot.

When they got back to the room, Cass was sitting at the small table cleaning her shotgun. "What were you two up too?"

Kaylee was about to speak up when Parker spoke up, "Just enjoying the night air."

"Did you tell her?" the cowgirl set her gun down gave Parker a scrutinizing stare.

"No I didn't," he mumbled as he walked towards the bathroom.

"Why the hell haven't you yet?" she spoke angrily.

Kaylee went sat down on the edge of the bed and kicked off her shoes, "Tell me what?"

"That he's going to chase…" the woman began.

"Cass, I wasn't sure if I was going to do that," Parker interrupted.

"Don't bullshit me."

"Parker?" Kaylee spoke up before either could say another word.

He walked out of the bathroom rubbing his eyes. "What is it?" he spoke gently.

"What is that you want to do?" She had a feeling what he was going but wanted him to say it.

"I was thinking of finding and killing the man who shot me in Goodsprings," he answered in low voice. "I just need to know how you feel about it, since you are part of the group. If you don't want to do it, we don't have too."

She sat there staring at the ground as she thought. There was no way she could know how he was feeling but the idea of finding the man who shot would seem like a good one. Maybe if things got too dangerous, she could get him to stop and walk away. Her dream was right before her though not in the way she had envisioned it all those years ago.

She met his gaze, "When do you want to leave?"


	15. Chapter 15: They Went That-a-Way

Kaylee stood in front of Kyle's door unsure of what she was going to say. He had searched for her all this time just to have her say 'thanks, it's the thought that counts'. It isn't right to just leave him in the dust. She had been having second thoughts about agreeing to go with Parker the night before. He had almost instantly starting rounding up supplies and putting them into his backpack. His expression was beyond determined. He was evening constantly tossing and turning on the couch like he couldn't wait to leave.

Her thoughts faded as the door in front of her opened to reveal her friend. "Uh hey Kyle," she spoke awkwardly while rubbing the back of her neck. She couldn't help but notice that he looked ready to go. His duffel bag and assault rifle were slung over his shoulder.

"Morning Kaylee," he gave a smile, "how did you sleep last night?"

"Just fine, I'm here to talk about that offer you made last night."

"And?" he questioned while adjusting the strap to his duffel bag.

"I'm gonna go with Parker," she bit down on her lip in anticipation of his response.

Kyle stood silently while his eyes dotted about for a few seconds before landing back on her. "Why I don't I go with you guys?" Giving a shrug of his shoulder he spoke, "Where ever it is that you are going."

"What about your father though? Wouldn't he be worried about him?"

"Nonsense, he knows I can take care of myself." Gently pushing past her he climbed up the stairs, "I'm sure your friend will be fine with it."

Kaylee followed behind him unsure of what to say. She didn't care if Kyle came with them, but her concern was for Cass and Parker. They didn't know a thing about her friend so how could they trust him to come with.

As Kyle reached the room, he simply opened the door and walked in. "Hey man, I know I'm intruding but I was wondering if you'd be cool letting me come with you."

Before Kaylee could see into the room, Parker walked out with his bag over one shoulder and holding the varmint rifle in one hand. His expression was still the same as the night before. "If you're coming with, then let's go," he simply stated as he handed Kaylee the rifle. "I want to get there before dark if we can."

As Parker turned and walked down the stairs, Kyle stepped out of the room and gave her a confused look before following the man. Cass stepped out with a concerned look. The woman moved to Kaylee and took her by the arm gentle and guided her towards the stairs.

"I don't like the look in his eyes," Cass whispered.

"Who? Kyle?" Kaylee responded though she knew who the woman was talking about.

"No, Parker. I haven't seen that look in his eyes since before he left me a few months ago."

"I wanted to say something last night after he had suddenly begun to pack so quickly." She was somewhat frightened at the sudden change in Parker's mood. "Do you know what could have caused him to be like that?"

"I got no clue. If its revenge, makes me wonder for what it was two months ago."

"Well, we'll just have to keep an eye on him then," Kaylee suggested.

"It'll be hard with that boy over there," Cass playfully pushed the other girls shoulder. "Who knows, it could do good for you."

"What do you mean?" she clearly wasn't following what her friend had suggested.

"Well you like Parker so you might be able to make him jealous," the woman gave a sly smile. "Plus the boy isn't hard on the eyes."

Kaylee gave a small gasp, "Is that all you have on your mind?"

"What can I say, I have needs and they haven't been met in a while. Maybe if we head over to New Vegas I could…"

"Just stop Cass, I don't want to hear it."

They walked north down the 188 highway with Parker leading the others by more than a few feet and kept a quick walking pace. Every now and then Kaylee could see him peak over his shoulder at the others. Kyle took it up on himself to tell her about the few times that he went out and scavenged some of the old world buildings. He and his father even went out to the canyon south of Nipton and hunted some of the larger geckos that roamed the area. She had no idea that he would go out and do those kinds of things before. If she had known before, she would have surely have begged to go with on more than one occasion. Of course since Kyle was telling stories, Cass had to throw in her own tales as well.

It was close to an hour past noon when they stopped for lunch at a gas station. Parker had sat off to the side while staring off into the distance like the day before. Cass watched him carefully from a distance as she ate. Her expression made it seem that she would think the man would just disappear. Kaylee couldn't blame the woman as Parker seemed to be a different man. He would have spoken to her about something. She hoped that it had to do with him giving her space to catch back up with Kyle. Then again he had slowly been becoming more withdrawn since the scrapyard.

Kyle had dragged her into the gas station in order to teach her the basics of raiding the old world buildings. "So I should have asked a while ago," Kyle spoke up after a few minutes of scrounging around the old gas station, "but where are we going?"

Kaylee gave a small sigh, "I know you're going to scold me on this but I honestly don't know."

"How can you trust this man so blindly?" She wasn't even looking at him, but could feel his stare on her.

"What do you want me to say? That I know every single detail right down to what's on his mind?" she responded, letting herself exaggerate it in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"It doesn't change that fact that you can't just put all your trust into him," he began to lecture. "He could always just be lying to you and gaining your trust so he can lure you somewhere dangerous."

"Everyone has their own little secrets Kyle. Sometimes people aren't comfortable about telling people about the smalls things." Parker hadn't hidden anything from her except what he done during his time as a soldier. He had told her some of it which made her feel closer to him since he hadn't even told Cass any of it before. The only thing though was that his tone was dejected. She couldn't imagine how he had handled his feelings after the assault on the dam and during his captivity.

"Anyone can deem something small about themselves," Kyle countered. "I like small walks down dusty paths with mole rat sandwiches and I forgot to mention that I murder people in my spare time," he sarcastically joked.

"He hasn't murdered anyone," Kaylee shot back angrily.

"I just don't want you making a mistake," he seemed to concede, though she knew that this wasn't the last time they would talk about this. It wasn't something she was interested in having. It would be nothing compared to what is going to happen with Parker and the man that shot him.

"Kaylee, Kyle we're going," Parker called from the door.

She found herself following Kyle as he quickly made for the door. Sliding past him, she jogged to catch up to Parker. He didn't say anything as she slowed down beside him. They continued walking in silence with Cass and Kyle trailing behind. She attempted to say something a few times but always found that her voice wouldn't come out. Though she felt that she could trust Parker, she couldn't help but question at the very least where they were going. Time dragged on as they continued down the road. Kaylee found that she had slowed her pace till she was walking even with Cass.

"So is this what you two do?" Kyle broke the silence. When no one responded he added, "I mean just follow and do everything that he says." Kaylee felt slightly stung by the comment since she has for the most part since she had met the man.

"No," Cass put simply. "And so what if we do."

"Nothing as long as you're fine Mr. Sunshine over there leading you to an early grave." Kaylee was sure that he had said it loud enough for Parker to hear, though the man kept his eyes on the road ahead. "To be honest, I don't think it would be right for two lovely ladies to be with him."

Cass let a chuckle out before beginning, "First of all, I can handle myself. Second, Mr. Sunshine can as well." Her expression was serious but it softened as she smiled lightly, "And lastly, don't think that being charming will get me into bed with you."

Kyle smiled widely, "Like I mentioned earlier to Kaylee, we should at least know where we are going."

"If you want to know, go ask him," Cass replied.

He glanced between the woman and Parker a few times as if mulling over the idea. He readjusted the strap of his duffel bag before saying, "I guess I will." With that he picked his pace up to be walking side by side with Parker.

"What did he do before he went searching for you?" Cass asked when the boy was gone.

Kaylee raised her eyebrows and questioned, "Nothing really, why do you ask?"

"Well if he was in charge of something I could understand the want to know almost every detail."

"I don't know if you would consider being the mayor's son…"

Cass interrupted her, "The mayor's son? So what is he some kind of brat?"

Kaylee glanced at the two men in front of her, "I guess you could say that." She didn't feel right about saying that but the man did act spoiled quite a lot in the past.

"He may have to go if he starts throwing tantrums. Besides," Cass said with a smile while nudging Kaylee's arm, "I'm already looking out for one kid."

She tried to hide the smile spreading across her face, "So I'm a kid huh?"

"Of course you are," the woman then added, "so is Parker in a way."

"Is he?"

"Well yeah, everyone is to some extent. Parker's most notable action is that he doesn't think things through all the time and just runs off." After a few moments she added, "I guess you could say you're kinda like him. You know, with how you ran off into the middle of the night without saying anything to us. Then it was just like Parker to not wake me to go with."

Kaylee let a sigh out, "Look I'm sorry I did that."

"I should still be mad at you for that, but I'm finding it hard too."

"Maybe it's because I'm so sweet," she knew what the woman had meant. It was Parker. "So do you know where we're going?"

"I don't know exactly but I got an idea. If we turn right onto a road before reaching the 188 Trading Post, then we'll likely be heading towards Boulder City or Hoover Dam, though I doubt the man who shot Parker would head to the dam."

"So we're going to Boulder City?"

"It's possible, but there's still a chance that we keep following the highway north. There are a few…" Cass' voice faded causing Kaylee to look around to see if she could find the reason.

In the distance she could see a fading billboard on the side of the road. It was an old advertisement for sunset sarsaparilla painted on the old decrepit board. What had caught her friend's attention was the light black smoke drifting up from a small fire. Parker was kneeling while peering through the scope of the varmint rifle. Kyle was squatting next to him with his rifle in hand.

"What is it? Can you see anything?" Kyle questioned in a low voice.

"Just one man," Parker muttered as he scanned the area with the rifle.

"Trap?" Cass whispered as she crept up behind them.

"Possibly with how unarmed that man looks, though who knows how many could be up on the ridge." Parker let an annoyed sigh out.

"Shouldn't we go a different way then?" Kaylee asked concerned.

"Yes we should," Kyle answered quickly. "It's not a good idea to continue forward anymore."

Kaylee hardly heard Parker as he muttered, "Well I'll be." With that he stood up and slung the rifle back over his shoulder and proceeded to walk towards the old billboard. No one moved as they watched him. She quickly filled the space between them and walked beside him. It was surprising to her that she was the one to put her faith in Parker before Cass did. She couldn't deny that she was scared. How could she not be? This could truly be a trap or simply another person traveling the road.

With each step her heart began to beat faster while her mind was racing on what to do if it was a trap. Her forearm slide against the gun holstered at her side more than a few times and it always brought the thought of having to use the gun against another person. What if she wasn't capable of pulling the trigger and ending someone's life and she was the cause of them being forced into slavery or killed?

"I was wondering when you folks would make your way over." The voice of the man dragged Kaylee from her thoughts. "Have a seat and get comfortable, a storm is coming."

* * *

The drifter was right about the sandstorm. Only a few minutes after Cass and Kyle had caught up to them for the storm to hit. It reminded Parker of the times back in Hopeville when the lonesome drifter would pass through. It was a pleasant surprise that this lonesome drifter seemed to still be wandering the wastes and playing his guitar. The five people sat behind the billboard until the dust settled hours later when the sun began to set.

"Where are you folks headed?" The Stranger asked.

"Boulder City," Parker spoke up since he knew no one else would. They hadn't said anything since meeting the man besides small greetings. "How about yourself old friend?"

"Nowhere in particular, just looking for a place to settle down"

"Done wandering the wastes?" Parker asked absent mindedly as he thought of finding Benny. Boone had mentioned that a man in the checkered suit pass through Novac two days before he left the Brotherhoods bunker for good. He was likely not in Boulder City anymore though there was surely someone there who knew where he went.

"I'm getting a little too old to be drifting through the wastes. It would be nice to settle down somewhere so I can play some music in peace."

"You play music?" Kaylee questioned. Parker couldn't help but look over at the girl. She still looked scared and stiff as though they had walked into the trapped, but her eyes gazed at the stranger with curiosity. He felt as though he was responsible for the discomfort she was feeling.

"I sure do little lady," the Stranger replied. "My own mother taught me to play the guitar. I can play nearly any song on the radio."

"C-could you play something for me?"  
"It'd be my pleasure."

The stranger played many songs. The first couple of songs were some they had never heard before, but as the night wore on he began to play more familiar songs. Kaylee would sing along with the man on the songs she knew. Any worry she might have had was now gone and replaced with pure enjoyment. It would have to be the happiest Parker had seen her since meeting her. The smile on her face brought back the memory of a young girl. Kaylee reminded him greatly of her. Of Amy.

They both had blonde hair though Amy had always kept hers in a ponytail while Kaylee let hers blow gently in the breeze. His thoughts shifted quickly to the day at the dam and how he was the cause of her death. Why did it have to be on the day the Legion attack?

"What's on your mind boy?" the Stranger asked.

The question caused Parker to glance around. Cass had her back against the billboard with Kaylee's head on her lap. Kyle was in the same position as Cass only against the rocky overhang with his assault rifle in hand. All three were clearly asleep which made him wonder how long he had been thinking.

"They're asleep so don't worry. So, what's on your mind?"

Parker rubbed his eyes before responding, "You always have to have one of these talks when we see each other don't you?" He let out a sigh, "So I got shot in the head over in Goodsprings a week or two ago."

Before he could go any the further the Stranger spoke up, "And you are chasing down the man who shot you. Are you still a soldier?"

"No, been a courier for a few years now."

"Then let it go boy. You'll only find blood and it will likely not be the blood you're searching for." Parker couldn't see the man's eyes were starring him down but they were shrouded in darkness.

"If you are talking about them," he spoke defensively while motioning to his companions, "I'll be sure to keep them out of it. It's between me and him."

"I've heard many men say that before and fail to keep it that way. Besides, I know you don't want to do this. Why else would you have stayed the night here?"

"It was getting dark and we had a place…"

"Don't bullshit me boy."

A silence fell over the two with the only sound being that of the crackling fire and coyotes in the distance. As usual the Drifter could read everything about him. He couldn't hide anything from the man even with a blank face. Nothing had changed with him besides his age.

"It's because of her isn't." he pointed towards Kaylee.

"Yes," was all Parker could say.

"Why can't you let yourself settle down and be happy for once?"


End file.
